Workers of Prestea Sankofa Gold Limited (PSGL) in the Western Region have embarked on a sit-down strike over unpaid June salaries and delays in the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering their end-of-service benefits, salary increment and arrears.
The workers claim the Managing Director (MD) of the gold mining company has refused to sign his portion of the MoU, preventing the agreement from being fully implemented.
According to the workers, negotiations on the MoU began in February and were concluded in April, with an agreement that the new arrangements would take effect in May.
However, they said months after the agreement was reached, the provisions of the MoU have not been fully implemented due to what they described as management’s failure to complete the signing process.
“The first person to sign is the MD, followed by a representative of the national workers’ union, then the local union and the board,” the workers explained.
The Chairman of the Local Workers’ Union, Michael Awotwe, said the workers were unable to understand why the process had stalled.
“It was agreed that the workers’ benefits, including salary arrears and end-of-service benefits, would be paid from May this year to those who are due. So we do not understand the attitude of our MD,” he said.
The Secretary of the Local Union, Daniel Cudjoe, also expressed concern over the delay, adding that workers had not received their June salaries.
“Our salaries are normally paid between the 21st and 27th of every month, or latest by the end of the month. We are in July, but our June salaries have still not been paid,” he stated.
Mr Cudjoe said the workers would maintain their sit-down strike until management begins implementing the terms agreed upon in the MoU.
Company Response
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of PSGL, Ebenezer Essien, confirmed that the June salaries of workers had not been paid but attributed the delay to challenges affecting the signing of payment documents.
He explained that payment vouchers had already been prepared, but officials expected to sign the documents were unable to access the office due to the recent flood situation in Accra.
He assured workers that the issue would be resolved and payments would be made once the documents were signed.
On the MoU dispute, Mr Essien denied claims that the MD had refused to sign the agreement.
He said the negotiations began before the current MD and Board of Directors assumed office, making some aspects of the agreement a legacy issue that required further consideration.
According to him, the company had already implemented the salary adjustment, resulting in an 11 per cent increase for workers.
He added that the outstanding issues, including the end-of-service benefits, would be discussed by the Board of Directors to determine timelines for implementation.
“It is not the decision of the MD alone. The salary increment has been done and the rest will follow,” ,” he said.
