Ex-GNTC Workers Drag Government To Court

Five years after being laid off, Ex-employees of the erstwhile Ghana National Trading Corporation (GNPC) have initiated a joint court action against Government and the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC), over severance pay due them in respect of their redundancy from the corporation.

The plaintiffs, totalling 1,750 are also seeking interest at the current bank rates on the money due them from date of their unlawful laid-off to today.

The suit filed as CS 250/2001 and dated October 16, 2001 is also seeking an order of injunction restraining the defendants from ejecting plaintiffs from their respective residences, until payment is made.

Some of the plaintiffs are still resident in GNTC bungalows even though there have been threats to eject them.

The Commando unit, originally set up for the security of ex-President Rawlings, currently occupies some of the bungalows.

The plaintiffs, Chronicle gathered, were declared redundant between 1995 and 1997 and were each paid a flat redundancy rate of 14-17 months as entitlements, an amount the ex-GNTC workers protested against, since according to them, the redundancy entitlement and modalities for calculating as spelt out in their conditions of service should have been followed.

In an 18-point statement of claim filed at the High Court, the plaintiffs stated among other things that "at all material times, they protested and agitated the imposed unlawful payments contending at all times that such pittance as were imposed on them were not in accordance with their respective conditions of service and were thus unlawful and null and void".

Plaintiffs also aver that at the time of their lay-offs, some of them were occupying residences belonging to the erstwhile corporation which they are still occupying because the defendants have not, as yet, settled the balance of their lawful entitlements to enable them acquire alternative accommodation.

They also stated that even though defendants have not paid the just entitlement due them, defendants continue to threaten to eject them out of the bungalows.

Prior to filing the legal suit, Chronicle learnt that on April 23, this year, plaintiffs by their solicitor wrote to the 1st defendant, that is the Attorney General's office in compliance with the state proceedings act, giving the Attorney General's office notice of their intention to commence proceedings against the Government of Ghana.

The A-G's office, Chronicle gathered, has to today not reacted to the said letter.