Ghana Airways Workers Issue Ultimatum

Workers of the defunct Ghana Airways have given government a one-week ultimatum, to address the issues concerning their severance package, or else call on the National Labour Commission (NLC) to take legal action against them.

The workers had earlier threatened legal action to stall the liquidation process of the airline. The collective bargaining agreement stipulates that the workers must be compensated in the event of the company folding up. The Chairman of the Unionized Workers of the airline, Mr Alex Coffie, in an interview stated that the government?s decision to choose a liquidator right after choosing a mediator was contemptuous.

Mr Coffie added that even though the union, with the assistance of the Labour Commission intends to drag the government to court, it may not be able to subpoena government to respond to their requests, since the Labour Commission was formed by the government.

However, Mr Ato Conduah, a consultant of the Senior Staff Workers of the Airline, says that the NLC still has the power to halt the liquidation process, if the government fails to respond appropriately to their request. Mr Conduah noted that if the Commission fails to halt the process when necessary, it would have failed to live up to expectation.