Workers of Bilfinger and Berger on strike

The 500-man workforce of Messrs Bilfinger and Berger Construction company, a German contracting firm working on the 140 kilometre Kpando to Dambai road on Friday laid down their tools over what they described as "poor conditions of work".

The workers representatives, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency at the work site at Nkonya-Ahenkro cited lack of promotion, safety wares, arbitrary dismissals and absence of annual leave as some of their grievances.

They said the immediate cause of the strike action was the deduction of between 30,000 cedis and 70,000 cedis each from their salaries in payment of salary advance they received on February 15.

They also alleged that tipper trucks instead of staff buses were used in conveying them to and from their work sites, which often resulted in fatal accidents.

A meeting between the workers union officials from Accra and their local representatives on one hand and the management at Nkonya-Ahenkro to resolve the problem proved futile.

The Ghana News Agency was prevented by the company's security from reaching the management for their side of the story because they claimed they have specific orders not to allow any visitor into the yard.