A group of women calling themselves Wives of workers of Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL) Eastern Region have staged protest over persistent non-payment of salaries and other entitlements owed to their husbands, stating that the situation is collapsing homes.
Speaking during a protest at Akosombo, the women expressed deep frustration over what they described as “unbearable” living conditions caused by months of unpaid wages.
According to them,they have shouldered household responsibilities alone throughout the period , including feeding families, paying school fees and rent, a situation they say has collapsed their small businesses and drained their savings.
The women claim that workers are currently owed seven months’ salary arrears, in addition to several other outstanding obligations.
These include unpaid bonuses deducted from workers’ salaries over the past four and a half years, pensioners’ entitlements, and Tier 2 pension contributions which, they allege, have not been paid for the same period.
They further accused management of failing to settle workers’ medical bills, a situation they say has had fatal consequences.
They claim that,an employee recently died after allegedly receiving inadequate medical attention due to unpaid medical bills, while another reportedly attempted suicide by drinking poison amid the financial and social pressures.
They called on Omanhene of Akwamu traditional area Odeneho Kwafo Akoto II to intervene to ensure their husbands are paid before the Christmas.
ATL, once an enviable textile manufacturing company in Ghana and he subregion, received a GH¢17 million government bailout in 2018 aimed at reviving operations and stabilising the company.
However, workers say the financial challenges persist, with salaries, bonuses and pensions remaining unpaid years after the intervention due to poor management.
In protest over the situation, workers have intermittently embarked on peaceful sit-down strikes. One such action took place on Thursday, February 15, 2024, over the same unresolved grievances.
Concerns also surfaced about the alleged sale of vital production equipment, including over 620 high-quality copper rollers used in the real wax printing section, as well as hundreds of motors and cylinders, which they claim were sold as scrap.
They questioned how such assets could be disposed of while workers remain unpaid.
But management described the claims are misinformation.
The Deputy Minister of Finance,and Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman, Thomas Nyarko Ampem early this year assured that President John Dramani Mahatma government is committed to reviving the textile industry.
Ghana government aims to attract $1.2 billion in new investments to create 150,000 jobs in the garment and textiles industry by 2030.
The ten years strategic plan,also include revival of cotton cultivation across 50,000 hectares to support local raw material supply chain.
