Top Industries managers, workers in game of lock-ups,Thursday, November 4, 2010
EXPATRIATE managers of Top Industries Limited, manufacturers of household plastic wares, have been locked up on the premises of the company for the past three days amidst a sit-down strike by Ghanaian workers of the company.
While the Managing Director of the company, Mr Aniel Lakhiani, claimed the Ghanaian workers locked up the premises on Tuesday, the striking workers told the Daily Graphic that the expatriate workers had locked themselves up for fear of being attacked by the aggrieved workers.
When the Daily Graphic visited the company premises, the main gate was locked up with two padlocks-one inside and the other outside with the workers singing and dancing outside the gate.
The workers numbering more than 100 and clad in red arm-bands lined up at the entrance of the company beating drums and threatening to deal with the management of the company.
A number of police officers continue to patrol the area to maintain law and order.
A number of the workers who spoke to the Daily Graphic on condition of anonymity denied locking the place up.
“We did not lock the place up, if we did, why had the police not been able to arrest anybody or break the lock open,” one of them fumed, and added that, “they are afraid we might attack them, so they locked themselves up.”
In a catalogue of allegations, the workers alleged that management of the company had violated terms and guidelines concerning employment under the Free Zones initiative.
According to them, the company had moved a number of its machinery to its Tema factory, a situation which demands that workers who operated such equipment be made redundant and compensation paid to them before new terms were negotiated for a transfer to the new site but “the management of the company has refused to do that.”
“We don’t even have proper water to drink. The tap has been closed and we now depend on a borehole which is salty and undrinkable,” another worker added.
When contacted, Mr Lakhiani said he received a call from his expatriate workers on Tuesday, that the Ghanaian workers who were demonstrating outside had locked the main gate and refused to work.
He said armed with this information, he went to the Kaneshie Police Station with the Personnel Manager of the company to report the matter.
Mr Lakhiani said subsequently, police officers were detailed to maintain peace at the factory.
He wondered why two days after the matter had been reported, the police had failed to open the gate of the factory to allow those locked inside out.
“This is a clear case of infringement of peoples rights,” Mr Lakhiani said.
He said the management of the company had not received any letter concerning the grievances from the local union, adding that even though the leadership of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union had declared the strike illegal, the workers had refused to back down on their action.
On why all the demonstrating workers were not sacked, he said by the labour laws of this country since the strike is illegal, they had all been asked to re-apply for their respective positions.
While the Managing Director of the company, Mr Aniel Lakhiani, claimed the Ghanaian workers locked up the premises on Tuesday, the striking workers told the Daily Graphic that the expatriate workers had locked themselves up for fear of being attacked by the aggrieved workers.
When the Daily Graphic visited the company premises, the main gate was locked up with two padlocks-one inside and the other outside with the workers singing and dancing outside the gate.
The workers numbering more than 100 and clad in red arm-bands lined up at the entrance of the company beating drums and threatening to deal with the management of the company.
A number of police officers continue to patrol the area to maintain law and order.
A number of the workers who spoke to the Daily Graphic on condition of anonymity denied locking the place up.
“We did not lock the place up, if we did, why had the police not been able to arrest anybody or break the lock open,” one of them fumed, and added that, “they are afraid we might attack them, so they locked themselves up.”
In a catalogue of allegations, the workers alleged that management of the company had violated terms and guidelines concerning employment under the Free Zones initiative.
According to them, the company had moved a number of its machinery to its Tema factory, a situation which demands that workers who operated such equipment be made redundant and compensation paid to them before new terms were negotiated for a transfer to the new site but “the management of the company has refused to do that.”
“We don’t even have proper water to drink. The tap has been closed and we now depend on a borehole which is salty and undrinkable,” another worker added.
When contacted, Mr Lakhiani said he received a call from his expatriate workers on Tuesday, that the Ghanaian workers who were demonstrating outside had locked the main gate and refused to work.
He said armed with this information, he went to the Kaneshie Police Station with the Personnel Manager of the company to report the matter.
Mr Lakhiani said subsequently, police officers were detailed to maintain peace at the factory.
He wondered why two days after the matter had been reported, the police had failed to open the gate of the factory to allow those locked inside out.
“This is a clear case of infringement of peoples rights,” Mr Lakhiani said.
He said the management of the company had not received any letter concerning the grievances from the local union, adding that even though the leadership of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union had declared the strike illegal, the workers had refused to back down on their action.
On why all the demonstrating workers were not sacked, he said by the labour laws of this country since the strike is illegal, they had all been asked to re-apply for their respective positions.
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