Juapong Textiles faces collapse yet again

Workers of Volta Star Textile formerly Juapong Textiles Limited are disenchanted and are planning to stage a demonstration to drum home the fact that the company is on the verge of collapsing again.

According to The Enquirer, the workers described the place as a “Concentration Camp” and have cursed the day Vlisco, the last company that handled the place before the takeover by the government.

The newspaper said its undercover investigations reveal that the government is still struggling to pay the workers and has swallowed its word of paying each worker ¢50,000 daily. They are currently being paid ¢30,000, it said.

The paper said even with that amount, the workers are paid every two weeks, and in most instances as it exists currently, the government has defaulted in paying them.

Apart from that, for over eight months that the workers were engaged by the company, none of them have been given an appointment letter.

The Enquirer said it has gathered that persistent request by the workers to have appointment letters and Social Security contributions paid have fallen on deaf ears.

It alleged that on July 6, when the workers were waiting for two clerks from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and PSI to pay them outstanding amount of ¢540,000 each, they were rather given ¢80,000 each.

The workers said when they were initially engaged by the government, one Mr Nartey of the ministry gave the assurance that the ¢30,000 given to them a day was an allowance but would be improved when the company takes off fully.