Manager to be investigated for alleged tribalism

The Human Resource Director of ACS-BPS (Ghana), Mrs. Vida Botwe is to be investigated alongside others for allegedly engaging in acts of nepotism, tribalism and high-handedness in the administration of the unit.

ACS-Ghana is an offshore subsidiary of ACS Incorporated of Dallas, Texas, USA. The company has data processing as its core business.

The Ghana site of ACS, which is located in Premier Towers in Accra, opposite the head office of the Social Security and National Trust (SSNIT) has been lauded by President J.A. Kufuor who personally visited the office as a gesture of support to the Government’s Golden Age of Business. The company employs some 1,300 Ghanaian youth who mainly key in data supplied from the US and forward this back to the US.

In appreciation of such a gesture, the CEO of ACS, Tom Blodget has been made a member of the international Investor Advisory Body put in place by President Kufuor.

A memo dated March 12, 2003 announcing the arrival of the Human Resource Director of ACS-Europe and Middle East, Pippa Roberts is already up on the bulletin boards of ACS Ghana.

The memo signed by Jim Charles, ACS (Ghana) Site Manager said among others that the visit of Pippa Roberts “… is to investigate certain allegations of misconduct regarding the conduct of business at the Ghana facility.

Some individuals have been named in these allegations, and Pippa will be here to conduct a full independent investigation to understand what the issues are and to support us through to a position of stability.”

This follows preliminary enquiries by this paper to the effect that Mrs. Botwe has systematically hired only persons of her ethnic Ewe group since she took over that position in the company.

This paper has already held a preliminary meeting with Mrs Botwe on the allegation on ethnicity and nepotism amongst others but she declined comment on the grounds that she had to speak with the authority of Jim Charles. Efforts were made to speak to Tom Blodget, President of ACS-BPS in the United States but those fell through. She also stands accused of frustrating some of the 1,300 strong staff of ACS to quit and subsequently filling such vacancies with her favourites.

ACS staff who spoke to this paper said though they are happy with the visit of Pippa Roberts, they do not consider it fair for her to meet with only a select group of staff as Jim Charles’s memo has stated and wish that she meets all staff to hear their grievances.

At the centre of the allegations levelled against Mrs. Botwe are that she has hired only Managers from her ethnic Ewe group since she took over.

The workers also contend that Ms. Botwe has also outsourced part of the transport business of ACS-Ghana which was being handled by Royal Shuttle to ISAL Tours, a company suspected to have business links to her husband. The workers have also accused Mrs. Botwe of high-handedness as she has withdrawn several facilities leading to a drop in earnings for all the staff.

The workers have also accused Mrs. Botwe of using a certain Dan Asare, who is a cousin of Mrs. Botwe and Eric Sunu who are both Managers of the Dental and Enrollment Units respectively of ACS. “Discipline is totally broken down at these two departments as staff regularly insult managers openly for slashing their wages.

The workers claim that ACS has now been virtually turned into a slave camp as overtime is no longer optional. “We are sometimes compelled to do overtime for 15 continuous hours with only two breaks. All these things must stop.”

The workers have also called to question the attitude of Jim Charles who has failed to respond to some of these allegations, particularly, those relating to overtime for December 2002. “Though, these took place under the last Site Manager, Damon Larmon, Jim Charles has failed to resolve this matter,” the workers charged.

The workers also allege that the International Compensation practiced by ACS-BPS of piece rate which is performance based has been changed by Mrs. Botwe to Qualification based compensation