Ex-workers of Zipnet demand unpaid salary arrears, SSNIT contributions

Some aggrieved former employees of Broadband Home Limited (BBH), operators of Zipnet, a local Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) provider, have reignited calls for their salaries from the company and the payment of their SSNIT contributions.

The former workers said in a letter addressed to GhanaWeb that about 35 current and former employees have not had their Tier 2 contributions paid by the company; about 20 former staff have their Tier 1 contributions not paid in full; and four former staff have outstanding salaries of over GHC40,000 due them.

They lament that they have tried every means available to them to get the management of BBH including the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Osei Owusu-Korkor to pay what is due them but to no avail. Mr Osei Owusu-Korkor is also the Acting CEO of Frontier Rail Limited which is bidding to build the 947km Western Corridor railway network connecting key centers of Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi.

The ex-workers dragged the leadership to the National Labour Commission (NLC) and agreed on some mode of payment but the company has since failed in that arrangement, they claim with the backing of documents as proof.

BBH stated in a letter dated January 24, 2020, which was made available to GhanaWeb that Joseph Hammond who was the Finance Manager and Henry Halm, Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman “engaged the complainants to have an amicable resolution.”

At the said meeting on January 14, 2020, at BBH’s office, the management agreed with the former workers “that BBH’s current situation is dire and cannot make [....] one time payment per the claims put forward.”

The management argued: “the claims put forward had a few discrepancies and that the records per BBH was the true reflection of the outstanding salaries owed each of the former employees.”

According to BBH, the company owes one Solomon F Sobeng six months outstanding salary of GHC19,635.72, Mustapha Mohammed, four months outstanding salary of GHC7,180.16, Ransford Addai Kyeremeh, four months outstanding salary of GHC10,535.94, Rodney Attuquayefio, three months outstanding salary of GHC3,381.87 and Stephen Oti Brako, one month outstanding salary of 2,833.50.

“The total amount due the five complainants is GHC43,567.19.”

BBH further agreed with the workers that due to the current situation of the company, the payment of their outstanding salary will be staggered over three quarters beginning April 15, 2020. “Thus, April 15, July 15 and October 15, 2020 to redeem all outstanding captured above.”

“That the equal installment payment will be GHC14,522.40 per quarter as agreed,” the statement reads.

But the aggrieved workers told GhanaWeb that the leadership of BBH is yet to fulfill that promise made to them and there was no word on the payment of outstanding Tier 1 and Tier 2 contributions.

GhanaWeb’s attempt to reach the management of Broadband Home Limited (BBH) for their side of the story proved futile.

Read the documents available to GhanaWeb below: