Staff of the Ghana Community Network Service Limited (GCNet) has embarked on an industrial action in demand for their severance pay.
The workers, who have been affected by a redundancy exercise by the company, gave the management a seven-day ultimatum, which expired today, September 24, to pay their severance package.
Over 150 employees of GCNet are demanding the payment of their severance package after a three-member arbitration panel appointed by the National Labour Commission (NLC) ruled in their favour over a redundancy dispute with management of GCNet.
Confirming today’s strike action to ADR Daily during an interview in Accra, the Chairman of the Welfare Staff Association of GCNet, Felix Agbodeka said their action to embark of a sit down strike has effectively been communicated to GCNet management and the National Labour Commission (NLC) as a result of the failure by management to enforce the arbitral award.
“We are starting a sit down strike action because we gave them an ultimatum last week Tuesday, and it has elapsed so we have begun our action. Per our action we are doing everything under the ambit of the law,” he stated.
According to Mr. Agbodeka, most of workers are struggling to provide for their families during this era of COVID-19 pandemic, and blamed management’s refusal to pay compensate them.
Going by the verdict of the three-member arbitration panel made up of Charles D, Antwi, Anita Wiafe Asinor and Paul Osei Mensah, it was upheld that GCNet is under obligation to pay each of the staff a redundancy package in accordance with the company’s policy without any adjustment or variation.
“The effective date for the redundancy is August 31, 2020 and this shall be the last day of employment of the affected staff with GCNet, the panel held in a ruling dated September 4, 2020,” the ruling said.
Benjamin Nana Appiah/adrdaily.com
