Some companies in the Tema Industrial area have begun laying off workers due to the recurring power challenges, popularly called “dumsor”. Speaking to Citi News’ Elvis Washington, the Tema Regional Officer of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union, Eleazer Nyaunu disclosed that over 300 workers in the area are scheduled to go home due the erratic power situation. “I am presiding over two redundancy meetings now in Tema. One is a total shutdown and members are going home. I am trying to delay the process to see whether there will be any hope before the end of the third quarter,” he said.
He, however stated that, employers are pushing for the exercise since the erratic power supply is increasing the cost of production. “In fact, the situation is more serious than what the Finance Minster and the ECG are telling us. In fact, if something is not done now more people will lose their jobs very soon,” he warned. He pointed out that, the two companies embarking on the redundancy exercises have served notice of laying off more workers if the power situation does not improve soon. “As a practitioner of industrial relations, I can tell you that the current dumsor situation is adversely affecting businesses, especially in Tema” he stressed.
Mr. Nyaunu stated that, some companies out of frustration, are also laying off people due to minor errors committed by the workers. “There are companies who are not sending any notice, but on their own are shutting down production lines and dismissing workers at the least provocation,” he said. Mr. Nyaunu spoke to Citi News on the sidelines of an ICU annual float to drum home the essence of unionism.
Source: Citifmonline
