BIVAC workers angry over end-of-year bonus

BIVAC International, a French Destination Inspection Company (DIC,) operating in Ghana, is boiling over what angry workers of the multinational company have described as “discrimination” against Ghanaian workers by management who are mainly expatriates, Today has gathered.

Consequently, Today established that the obviously angry workers are threatening to stage a massive demonstration to protest what they termed as "unfair treatment practices” being employed by the Fernando Barbosa-led management to "exploit Ghanaian workers in the company.”

The Ghanaian workers maintained that apart from the fact that they receive meagre salaries, this year’s bonus proposed by management was nothing more than “insulting.”

When Today visited the premises of the company over the weekend, scores of Ghanaian workers who spoke on condition of anonymity insisted that they will not allow management of the company to continue cheating them.

The workers could not fathom why BIVAC which has been receiving one per cent commission on all transactions made on behalf of the government of Ghana would agree to pay only 8.33 per cent per annual as end-of-year bonus instead of 25 per cent proposed by the workers.

They bemoaned that the decision by the company to pay 8.33 per cent was “insulting to the Ghanaian workers."

“We will not allow any foreign company to cheat us this way; how can we be working for BIVAC International without enjoying any better bonuses at the end of the year,” an angry worker stated.

"...our monthly salaries are nothing to write home about and we are surprised that our dear nation still continues to engage the services of this kind of companies which make huge profits from the sweat of Ghanaian workers. Government should know that BIVAC International has been repatriating whatever profits it makes home—France," the workers angrily told Today.

The workers further indicated that there had been no significant salary increment for the local workers since the commercial operation of the company in 2007.

The workers lamented over the poor condition of services of Ghanaian workers and alleged that the end-of-year bonus scheme for workers was being enjoyed by the expatriate workers only.

“Our Labour Act, which speaks of equal work, equal pay, never exist between locals and expatriate workers in this company,” they stressed.

According to the workers, somewhere in the middle of October 2014, the local union of the workers met with management of the company and put on the table proposals in respect of an appreciable bonus for the workers.

"Since that meeting, management of the company did not come out with anything concrete on what it will pay as bonuses to the workers with all manner of excuses… only for them to salp us with this insulting bonus package,” the angry workers said.

"...in a face serving exercise, management of the company deliberately apportioned blame on leaders of our local union to the effect that they (the local union leaders) did not submit the bonus proposal on time."

The workers, therefore, called on the leadership of the national union to intervene to resolve their concerns otherwise the destination inspection service provider would face their wrath.

When Today contacted the Human Resource Manager (HRM) of BIVAC International, Madam Florence Amoah, to cross-check the story on Saturday, December 20, 2014 she refuted the assertion to the effect that the company was discriminating against Ghanaian workers in respect of payment of salaries, remunerations and bonuses.

According to her, when the leaders of the local union met management of the company on October 13, 2014 the union proposed that the company paid 25% of annual as bonus to the workers; which meant that the company would be paying 4 months salaries as bonus for every worker.

"We told them that the company cannot afford to pay 25 per cent of annual as bonus. And in that regard the company agreed that it could only pay one month salary together with rice and oil as bonus for each worker, considering the huge number of its workforce," Madam Amoah explained.

She went on to state that the leaders of the local union of the company insisted that they were entitled to the payment of 25% of annual as bonus. “But the union resisted they did not want one month salary payment as bonus,” she noted. According to Madam Amoah, the union had since not showed up after the October meeting.

Madam Amoah also spoke extensively on the various fringe benefits enjoyed by the workers at the end of every year which included workers' performance bonus and 13th month of working annual bonus.

She called on the workers to use right channels to resolve their grievances, stressing that the media could not solve their problems for them.

Meanwhile, Today has reliably been informed that the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) will soon assume responsibility over destination inspection in the country in order to simplify trade facilitation processes.

This, according to a deep throat source close to the ministry of trade and industry, would improve customs procedures which would eventually translate into improved revenue generation.

Today understands that destination inspection companies working in the country since 2000 are BIVAC International, Inspection and Control Services, Ghana Link Network and Gateway Services Limited (GSL). And these companies engage in some core businesses on behalf of the government of Ghana and CEPS.

These DICs were engaged to do price qualification and classification of goods on behalf of the government, build price database for CEPS and subsequently transfer their know-how to CEPS at the end of their contract terms so that CEPS could take over those responsibilities.

And as payment for their services, the DICs receive one per cent commission on all transactions made on behalf of the government.