A Chinese-owned company, Sunda International, producers of Kleesoft washing powder on Monday sacked 17 Ghanaian workers for not reporting to work on a weekend.
Some of the aggrieved workers told Citi News that they were asked by officials of the company to sign a document to consent to a deduction of GHS 50 from their salary for not turning up for work on Saturday.
According to them, they were asked on Monday to vacate the company’s premises and were escorted out by the security after they refused to consent to the GHS 50 deduction from their salary. However, clauses in their contract cited by Citi News stated that “normal working hours consists of 40 hours spread over a week, thus, Monday to Friday (8:00 am to 5:00 pm) and overtime duties on Saturdays” which will be paid to workers aside their basic salary.
The contract further stated that “staff or company may terminate this contract by giving two weeks written notice in advance if [worker] has worked for less than 1 year or pay two weeks gross salary in lieu of such notice.
Meanwhile, some of the aggrieved workers on Tuesday petitioned the Labour Department in Accra to have their issue addressed, insisting that their dismissal was “unlawful.”
According to them, they have worked with the company for four months since Sunda International commenced operations in Ghana.
The sacked workers expressed worry over the well-being of their colleagues, explaining that there are no adequate safety gears to work with at the production unit.
“There are rashes on the face of some of the workers as a result of exposure to chemicals they work with,” one worker complained.
They also said there aren’t enough gloves and masks among other protective gears to work with.
“There was an instance where our Chinese bosses have kicked a worker, and the issue was reported to the HR, who subsequently dealt with the issue, but the practice has not stopped,” the workers said.
They also said they have been subjected to verbal abuses among others.
Meanwhile, all attempts to reach the management of the company for a response on the issue proved futile.
Source: citifmonline
