Twenty-nine former employees of assembly file writ

Kumasi, Jan 19, GNA - Twenty-nine former staff of the Atwima District Assembly have filed a writ at a Kumasi High Court claiming damages from the assembly for wrongful suspension of their appointments. The writ, filed on behalf of the ex-employees by Dennis Adjei Legal Consult, is seeking a declaration that the letter purported to suspend their appointments dated August 30, 2001 was void ab initio and of no legal effect.

The writ, filed on January 9, is also seeking a recovery of monthly salaries from January 1, 2000 to the date of judgement and the interest thereupon from August 30, 2001 and payable on the date of judgement.

In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs said they were employees of the Atwima District Assembly and that the assembly appointed some of them as secretaries and others as messengers to man the area councils in the district per appointment letters dated July 1, 1999.

The statement said each secretary was to earn an annual income of 2.6 million cedis whilst the messengers were to receive 950,000 cedis per annum.

The plaintiffs, the statement said, resumed work and worked efficiently from July 1, 1999, and their salaries for July, August and September 1999 alone were paid.

On June 25, 2001, the plaintiffs said, the defendants (assembly) wrote to them suspending their appointment contrary to the labour laws in the country.

The statement said the plaintiffs therefore, lodged a complaint with the Administrator of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) as the conduct of the defendant was illegal and unlawful and alien to the laws of this country and which CHRAJ invited both parties. It said CHRAJ found the conduct of the district assembly illegal and advised it to withdraw the letter of suspension of the appointments of the plaintiffs and further asked the assembly to pay their salary arrears.

But the assembly only paid three months salary arrears remaining that of January 2000 to date.

The statement said the defendant withdrew the void letter of suspension and issued another one dated August 30, 2001 and which was also issued contrary to the laws of the country.

The statement said the defendant had engaged the services of other people to the same duties that were assigned to the plaintiffs even though their appointments had neither been terminated nor declared redundant and their appropriate entitlements paid to them. The plaintiffs, the statement said, served a month's notice of intention to institute an action against the assembly in consonance with the Local Government Act.