Former workers of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) are threatening to take action against GPHA management if their severance packages from a voluntary redundancy exercise in 2002 are not paid by the end of this month.
According to Stephen Ashitey Adjei, spokesperson for the former GPHA workers, they have a letter from President Nana Akufo-Addo instructing GPHA management to pay the owed severance packages, but management has remained silent.
The former workers have been accusing GPHA management of short-changing them since the redundancy exercise conducted under a World Bank project in 2002.
They claim that while workers in a similar exercise in Nigeria received severance payments ranging from $1,500 to $3,000, they received between GH¢30 and GH¢3,000, which they argue is unjust given their contributions at the port.
After several demonstrations, former President John Evans Atta Mills issued a directive for their payment of the right amount in the contract, but this was not implemented by the subsequent John Dramani Mahama administration.
The former workers are now galvanized by what they alleged is a recent letter from President Akufo-Addo ordering their payment and are determined to ensure they receive their due compensation this time around.
“We have been waiting for so long, and many of our colleagues are suffering,” said Stephen Ashitey Adjei, spokesperson for the former workers.
GPHA management is yet to comment on the new development.
