VALCO prepares workers minds for redundancy.

Following the shut down of Line Four as a result of the reduction in power supply from the Volta River Authority (VRA) to Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) on 31 December 2002, management of VALCO has initiated processes to reduce manpower requirements for a two-line operation.

The reduction exercise will be done in line with the provisions of VALCO Collective Bargaining Agreement and conditions of service for unionised and non-unionised employees, a VALCO source said on Wednesday.

The source told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that VALCO had not yet identified any employee to be affected by the manpower reduction exercise. ''Management team is working on relevant details to ensure that the right things are done to give VALCO the best post-reduction organisation,'' the source noted.

''In line with this, an evaluation and force ranking process to be used will be based on merit, potential skills in current job, physical and mental ability to assume other jobs and conduct. Length of service will also play a role,'' the source said.

The source said, in the meantime, management is working with the union and other stakeholders to minimise the impact of the capacity and manpower reductions on employees and the company, having regard to the difficult cash flow situation of VALCO.

VALCO, that has 950 employees, reduced its workforce twice last year, March and October, because of low prices of aluminium in the world market coupled with reduction in operation capacity. The company is now working on two pot lines.