One thousand workers to go home at Bank of Ghana

The Local Works Union of the Bank of Ghana, backed by its parent body, the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) is bracing up for a labour showdown with the management of the Bank, state daily The Evening News reports.

At the centre of the looming confrontation is management's decision to undertake a restructuring exercise, which will see as many as 1,000 workers of its labour force of 2,500 going home. The rationale behind this restructuring, a credible source said, is the Bank's ever-growing expenditure.

The source said proposal submitted by the authorities indicated that under the restructuring exercise, management intends to do away with non-core sectors like, transport, maintenance and non-clerical areas.

The first phase of the programme is expected to be completed by the first quarter of next-year. Redeployment package proposals for the staff to be affected have been submitted to the Local Union.

When management and the Local Union met for the first time on the issue last Tuesday, at the Bank's Annex Boardroom, management had a taste of what is in store for them according to the Evening News.

The workers team led by, Mr Gilbert Awinongya, acting Deputy General Secretary of the ICU was surprised to learn that management had not informed the sector Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Employment and Manpower Development, over such a sensitive issue.

Mr Van Lare Dosoo, First Deputy Governor, who led the management team, admitted the lapse and promised to straighten up things before the next meeting, which, though slated for last Friday, could not come on.

The paper quotes its sources as saying that the workers are not in the least convinced with the "over-expenditure" explanation given by the management for the restructuring exercise. They have, therefore, called for a comprehensive expenditure situation report of the Bank to enable them know for themselves which segment of the workforce is the cause of the over-expenditure.

"We want to avoid a situation where restructuring normally affects the lower ranks, leaving intact, the top bracket which creates the over-expenditure,” he said.