Textile Factory Workers Lock Out Management

Tema, - 11 June

About 200 workers of the Ghana Textile Manufacturing Company (GTMC) yesterday defied a downpour and locked out their management personnel for several hours to prevent them from negotiating for an alleged collective agreement. The timely intervention of the police, however, saved the management personnel from being brutalised by the workers who had locked the main gate of the factory to prevent any official from leaving. A source close to the Tema Police told the GNA that the affected management personnel include the Managing Director, his deputy, Director of Administration, Personnel Manager and Production Manager. It said while the Textile Garment and Leather Union (TEGLU) held the bargaining certificate to negotiate with GMT management on workers collective agreement which was due, some of the workers who support the Industrial and commercial Workers Union (ICU) heard a rumor that the negotiations were secretly going on. Without cross-checking the rumor, workers on morning shift who had just closed, launched an attack on the management, the source added. The source alleged that the workers in their bid to force the management out, destroyed the main door to the administration block and broke a number of louver blades. The police said they managed to rescue all the management personnel and put two platoons of the 'Buffalo Unit' to guard the factory. No arrests were immediately reported and GNA could not reach any management personnel for comments on the incident.