Cotton workers demand eight months unpaid salaries
The Ghana Cotton Company Limited has for the past eight months not paid its Cotton Production Assistants (CPA) in the Upper West Region,
an official statement from the Cotton Workers Association, has said.
This has brought untold hardships to bear on the workers, as some landlords have ejected some of the workers from their residences for non payment of rent, it said.
Additionally, many of the workers have not also been able to pay their children’s school fees and utility bills, while some wives of the CPAs have run away and threatened divorce because of the hardships.
The statement, issued in Wa, was signed by Mr. Sino Nashiru, Chairman of the Ghana Cotton Company Workers Association, its Vice Chairman, Mr. Nancheno Lanbert, and Mr. Braimah Iddi, Secretary, and Mr. Draman Adama, a member.
They called on the TUC to intervene to allow sanity to prevail between the workers and management to enhance productivity.
The statement also called on the government to takeover the company and its responsibilities to revamp the cotton industry in the country.
The CPAs hinted that they had embarked on a sit down strike to press home their demands for the payment of their salaries and allowances, before they could get back to work.
The statement said the CPAs had withdrawn all their provident fund and credit union contributions to cater for their families but the hardships had not stopped plaguing them.
Creditors of some of the CPAs, especially motorbikes spare parts and fuel dealers, were chasing them for their monies, it said.
Besides, many of the motorbikes have broken down due to lack of maintenance, making it difficult for the CPAs to move to cotton fields, the statement said.
The CPAs say they do not have sound minds to carry out any effective work, yet their management persistently requests them to submit monthly reports for September.
“We are finding it difficult to comply because of our inability to get to the fields. Management is saying that any CPA who cannot submit the report for September should handover and resign.
Also, some CPAs who attempted speaking to voice out their grievance have been queried and threatened with dismissal,” the statement said.
The CPAs have, therefore, resolved that until the salaries and allowances were paid them, reports for September would not be submitted.
Source: GNA