COTTON COMPANY WORKERS IN DEMO (PAGE 19, OCT 1, 2010)

THERE is growing tension at the Ghana Cotton Company Limited in Tamale, following the decision by the workers to lay down their tools if the government does not intervene to reverse the dwindling fortunes of the company, which they blame on mismanagement.
Clad in red T-shirts and wearing arm bands, the workers on Wednesday staged a public protest and served notice of their intended strike in a four-page petition, which they presented to the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr San Nasamu Asabigi.
The petition, signed by the regional chairman of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Mr Zuanah Raphael, alleged that the workers had not been paid their salaries for the past six months.
It said as result of this, life had become increasingly unbearable for them.
The petition alleged that while the workers had not been paid, the management were spending huge sums of money on insignificant ventures, including giving car loans to top management members and increasing their salaries.
It noted that monies borrowed by the company to boost its operations had been diverted into sponsoring top management staff, some of whom were due for retirement, for further education “at the expense of production”.
The petition also accused management of procuring expired and re-labelled insecticides that had led to the decline in production.
It asserted that due to the lack of proper procurement systems, some management staff had used the company’s resources to purchase tyres for their private vehicles.
According to the petition, the workers had been compelled to take this line of action because those who attempted to engage management on issues had been victimised and threatened with dismissal.
To halt these alleged acts of mismanagement, the petition suggested the restructuring of the company to include the appointment of a Board of Directors and a substantive managing director to redirect the company towards sustained growth.
When contacted, the Director of Corporate Affairs of the company, Mr Akamboe Ayirebasia, said management was unaware of the intended strike since the workers had not formally informed them of any grievances.
“We are hearing those issues from you, the media. Management would meet to discuss the issues presented by the workers and make an appropriate response,” he stated.
The Ghana Cotton Company emerged from the then Ghana Cotton Development Board in 1985, after it was privatised as a result of divestiture of state companies.
However, the fortunes of the company have dwindled in recent years due to a combination of factors, including the rising cost of inputs, unstable international prices of cotton and high interest charges on agricultural loans.
The President, Prof John Evans Atta Mills, visited the company late last year and promised that his government would revive it as part of measures to accelerate the development of the north.