The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has given the Fair Wages and wages Commission (FWSC) a one-week deadline to reverse its decision to deduct “unearned allowances” from employees’ wages.
If the allowances are not returned within the next week, the workers say they will be obliged to go on indefinite strike.
Sam Nat Kevor, Divisional Union Chairman of GBC, told the press on Friday, June 2, that workers will begin wearing red armbands and apparel to work next week as a show of protest unless their demands are granted.
On Friday, May 23, several GBC employees threatened to go on strike in response to the withholding of their allowances.
Rent, housing, utilities, vehicle upkeep, and transit are among the allowances that are affected.
Staff have expressed their discontent with this move, claiming that as inflation continues to rise, the loss of such allowances will increase the cost of living.
However, FWSC President Ben Arthur argues that the project is part of the company’s nationwide payroll monitoring operation with the Internal Audit Agency.
He explained that throughout the payroll monitoring process, it had been found that some GBC employees were currently receiving allowances to which they were not legally entitled.
According to Mr. Arthur, the commission will not budge in its aim to provide better working conditions for employees.
He stated that it is an oddity that needs to be fixed that a cleaner on the GBC payroll receives a domestic employee allowance.
