Part of the thermal plant at Aboadze, near Shama
Workers of Takoradi International Company (TICO), a power distribution company located in the Shama District of the Western Region, are in a tussle with the management of the company for allegedly refusing to adhere to a policy dubbed: “Equal Work for Equal Pay”.
According to the workers, management had over the years violated their collective agreement which ensures that the workers should be given what is due them.
The workers also complained that they had not been given other benefits and entitlements, including allowances.
They have therefore threatened to shut down the thermal power plant at Aboadze today (December 10) if management fails to address their concerns.
“If the management members fail to reciprocate the respect we have for them by addressing the issues brought before them by today, we shall make sure this place is shut down”, the workers pointed out.
This was after the workers, including some of the engineers working on the 330 megawatts (MW) combined cycle steam turbine power plant, picketed on the premises of the company at Aboadze last Wednesday.
Some of them held placards with the inscriptions “Divide and Rule is Bad Leadership” and “Respect Collective Agreement”, among others.
In an interview, the General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Solomon Kotei, asserted that his outfit did not take things lightly when the issues of the workers were brought before him.
“We have what we call equal work for equal pay. We cannot have the same job roles and yet have different salaries and allowances being paid. The laws frown on that”, he stated.
He noted that, subsequently, three letters were written to the company’s management on the need to address the workers’ concerns but the management refused to respond to the letters.
He indicated that virtually the entire workers of TICO participated in the peaceful demonstration against the company and that the national union had to rush in to appreciate the issues.
“The national union already is in charge of all the petitions that had been raised. But it is sad that the management had not been able to do things that should not take three minutes to respond”, he added.
Mr. Kotei continued: “When we came here we have managed to meet the management and they have admitted that they should have responded to all the three letters”.
“The management also indicated that it will collaborate with its lawyers to respond to the workers issues latest by today. So we have asked the workers to hold their guns for now and go back to work and wait for Tuesday after the ICU has received the responses from the management. Otherwise we will advise ourselves appropriately in getting what our members duly deserve”, he declared.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi