Workers Drag J. Monta to CHRAJ

A SECTION of employees of the Coffee Division of J. Monta and Son Ltd. in Kumasi has summoned management of the company before the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to defend allegations of exploitation.

According to the aggrieved workers (about 20 in number), they are being paid low salaries against the provision of PBC rules and regulations.

They also complained about non-payment of their Social Security contributions by the company except a selected eight and that no overtime is paid to them even if they worked on weekend and public holidays.

Last October, the workers petitioned CHRAJ against the purported terminated of their appointments.

Management claimed that their services were no longer needed and that a package which turned out to be a month's salary would be paid to the affected workers before the effective date of October 30.

The said package has been described as an insult for the fact that no such payments had even been made.

Other allegations are that the company does not pay medical bills of workers neither do most of the workers have appointment letters.

Attempts by the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) of TUC to negotiate and resolve the issue has not yielded the desired result.

The ICU in a letter dated October 30, last year, and signed for the Senior Industrial Relations Officer, Mr. E. Osei Asibey Antwi, has reminded management of J. Monta that the dismissed workers were entitled to severance awards in line with NLCD 157 Section 34 of the Labour Decree of 1957.

In spite of meetings between the ICU and J. Monta last January 2, the issue still remains in a stalemate.

Last January 21, management refused to honour an invitation by CHRAJ to resolve the issue.

One Mr. Oliviaro had queried Messrs Quarcoo and Acquah (reps of management) during the abortive meeting at CHRAJ. Oliviaro would not turn up because he claims he is not part of management and could not honour CHRAJ's invitation without proper authorisation by management.