Unionist calls for prosecution of dubious labour agents

Mr Pius Kweku Quainoo, General Secretary of the Construction Building material Workers Union (CBMWU) of the Trades Union Congress, has appealed to the government to prosecute labour agents who squander social security contributions, taxes and severance pay of workers they recruited for companies.

He said reports reaching the CBMWU showed that when companies, especially contractors, paid such monies to the agents they did not give these monies to workers.

Mr Quainoo told the GNA in an interview that when workers approached contractors after completion of jobs, they would be told the monies had been paid to their agents because they were not recruited directly.

“This hide and seek has not only brought untold hardship to the affected workers, their immediate families, other dependants but deprived government and the state the much needed revenue to oil the wheels of the economy,” Mr Quainoo said.

He said this had led to labour disturbances at Tieso Ghana Limited, Delin Consult on the Accra Circle Project, Jan de Nul at the Takoradi Harbour Expansion Project.

“Such workers do not have job insecurity because their engagements are renewed periodically at the pleasure of the contractor and may never enjoy promotion or pension,” Mr Quainoo said.