Relative calm has returned to Golden Exotics Limited after workers of the company embarked on illegal strike lasting for about two weeks to press home their demand for a 100% wage increase.
According to the Corporate Affairs & Administration Manager, Mr. George Kporye, as of now about 90% of workers have resumed work.
A meeting between management and various categories of workers has been held to analyse what happened and get an understanding of what other issues remains outstanding. At the meeting, the extent of the losses (over 110,000 bunches) and the position of the company in respect of the future was clearly spelt out to workers. The meeting was also meant to motivate the remaining workers to put in their maximum to make up for the loss that has been made.
About 1,800 workers of the Free Zone banana plantation company located at Kasunya Estates near Asutuare embarked on an industrial strike in demand for a pay rise on Tuesday 26th February whiles negotiation was in progress.
Kporye mentioned that, some of the contracts have been cancelled. ?We have to work our way to get back the confidence of these customers.?
?Both Union and Management agreed on 25% wage increase and we take it in good faith hoping there will be more packages in the collective bargaining agreement,? Gabriel Mensah, Local Workers Union Secretary has said.
We were shocked to hear management using a 300% increase we discussed with our mother union Ghana Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) in chambers against us, he added.
In view of this some workers have asked that we break away from GAWU. But we will have to subject this proposal to a broader discussion considering the legal arrangement that must be made, Mensah revealed.
Prosper Gbemu is a worker of the plantation. He bemoans the inability of the union leaders to trickle down in detail, information or decisions that are arrived at between the union leaders and management to the rest of the workers.
?Banana is seasonal and it may go bad, that is why some of us have to work even as our grievances are being addressed,? he expressed.
Golden Exotics Limited exports a total of 64,000 tons of banana representing about 94% of Ghana’s total banana export.
The company has lost about 1M Euros due to the strike.
