The management of Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL) has denied media reports that some 200 workers of the company have been laid off, saying it rather intends to employ more to increase production.
Stressing that it has no plans to lay off workers, a statement by the management said new major contracts and a stimulus package secured from the government required more employment.
“It is also untrue that 600 workers of ATL have been sent home due to lack of raw materials. Our organization like any other that utilizes machinery, has scheduled times for production and maintenance. Our downtime ought not to be misreported as signs of layoff.
“Therefore, the media report of 600 workers of ATL sent home due to lack of raw materials is misleading,” the statement said.
As stated by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia during his key note address at the opening ceremony of the Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition 2018 at AICC on Tuesday 18th September 2018, ATL will be producing the fabric for uniforms of the 100,000 graduates under the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), as part of Government’s industrialization drive and to revive the textile industry.
“This in addition to other contracts will boost our business, increasing production activities from two shifts to three shifts, which will require further employment,” the company said.
In addition, it noted that the Ministry of Trade and Industry in collaboration with the textile manufacturers and traders has planned a roadmap, aimed at reviving the local textile industry and promoting made-in-Ghana fabrics. This includes among other things the implementation of the Tax Stamp to curb smuggling and to protect intellectual property rights of manufacturers in Ghana.
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“It is worthy to note that as part of government policy to boost the textiles industry, ATL was a proud recipient of a government stimulus package in August 2018 to support the company’s operations.
“The injection has assisted the organization to complete a number of exercises including clearing of salary arrears which is scheduled to be completed by the end of October,” it stressed.
By ADR Daily Newsdesk
