Official liquidator asked to appoint mediator

Accra, Aug. 15, GNA - The Official Liquidator of Ghana Airways has been asked to select a mediator to facilitate negotiations with ex-workers of the defunct Ghana Airways on their severance pay. A source at the National Labour Commission told the Ghana News Agency on Monday that the decision was conveyed to the Official Liquidator to make the necessary moves to bring the stalled negotiations back on track.

The Labour Act empowers the Commission to appoint a mediator to mediate if the Liquidator failed to select a mediator. Negotiations between the ex-workers and the Government Task Force on Ghana Airways had reached a deadlock since November 2004, following the failure of the parties to reach agreement on issues such as severance pay and cut off-date, outstanding leave commuted to cash, long service award and salaries.

Consequently, the General Transport Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union and the Union of Commerce, Industry and Finance Workers, petitioned the Commission to assist the parties with a mediator for the settlement of the issues.

The Commission had asked the Liquidator to go back to the negotiating table with the workers on the redundancy package in accordance with section 65 of Labour Act 651, which the Liquidator readily agreed to comply with.

Ghana Airways was liquidated after it had been bogged down by a 160 million dollar debt.