Over 180 Ghanaians working with Goodwill Ceramics Company Limited, a Chinese Construction company in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metroplis, were fired on May 1, 2016, a day set aside globally to celebrate workers.
The workers were dismissed for demonstrating on May 1 against what they described as unfair treatment by the company.
[contextly_sidebar id=”d8glaKoVbH3vJ7JPCoozpw4x650tbmSw”]According to some of the aggrieved workers who spoke to Citi News, they have been working with the company since December 2015, but their four months engagement has been characterized by maltreatment and infringement on their rights which is against the country’s labour laws.
“We work without Personal Protective Gadgets such as gloves and headgears; we are also forced to work daily from 6:30am to 6:30pm. There is no portable drinking water, no food around to buy when hungry and no places of convenience among other maltreatment meted to us,” one of the workers told Citi News.
The workers also alleged that what led to last Sunday’s demonstration was when management of the company intentionally hid one of the company’s cutting machines in a room and later turned around to accuse the head of security who doubles as the local Union Chairman of negligence leading the loss of that machine.
The said machine was eventually found hidden in one of the rooms occupied by the employers.
Ben Adams, the local Union chairman told Citi News that “all the workers have been asked to go home and come back for their April Salary on Wednesday, May 4, after which the company will severe ties with us all.”
The disgruntled workers are now demanding the immediate arrest of management of Goodwill Ceramics Company Limited, located at Eshiem, a suburb of Sekondi for what they call defamation of character against one of their own.
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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana