Dismissed NOPL workers appeal to Agriculture Minister

About 600 former employees of the National Oil Palm Limited (NOPL) have renewed their appeal to the Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to re-visit their dismissal in 1991 without the payment of severance award.

Making the appeal at an emergency meeting at Ewusiejo in the Ahanta West District on Thursday, the workers, who claimed they were transferred from the defunct State Farms Corporation to the NOPL in 1983, said some of them had worked between 10 and 27 years.

In a petition signed by their Spokesman, Mr James Oppon said following their exposure of malpractice by the Managing Director, Mr Kwaku Yeboah the Western Regional Administration appointed a committee to investigate the allegations.

They said the committee confirmed the allegations and recommended that the Managing Director should refund the amount involved to the company.

The ex-workers said some few months after the committee's recommendations, the Management asked all the workers to go home to enable rehabilitation work to be carried out in the company's factory.

They alleged that the rehabilitation did not come on but instead, the Management asked the workers to re-apply for re-engagement.

The workers said since they were not dismissed them most of them refused to re-apply and the few that did were not employed.

The dismissed workers said the management paid them only their End of

Service Benefits (ESB) in 1993 without paying the 16 per cent interest that had accrued on the ESB from 1990 to 1993 as directed by the NDC Government when it froze the ESB.

They said all efforts made to have the NOPL pay them their severance award, shares in the NOPL and the interest on their ESB had proved futile. The NOPL has been divested.

They, therefore, appealed to the government to revisit their grievances to ensure that justice and fair play.

The ex-workers also appealed to the District Chief Executives of Ahanta West and Mpohor Wassa East to use their good offices to prevent the new company that took over from the NOPL from selling the outgrown palm trees until their grievances were resolved.

They threatened to "take over the plantation" if the new company goes ahead to sell the palm trees.

The placards bearing ex-workers later went on one-hour peaceful demonstration through the principal streets of the town.

Some of the placards read: "President Kufuor save us from our plight", "NOPL should be probed", "We need justice and fair play" and "Stop selling the palm trees".