Workers lock out management

About 2,000 workers of the Pioneer Food Cannery (PFC) locked out their management personnel, accusing them of slavery. Female workers among the protesters alleged that management had refused to implement article 11 of their collective agreement on the payment of "afternoon/night shift allowance."

The article requires the management to pay allowances to employees "required to work during the periods, 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. "We are made to stand and work for eight hours daily, and this make us fall sick; but as soon as we are treated by the company's doctor at the factory, we are asked to continue to work". The workers are demanding, safety and canteen allowances, which they claimed had been withheld for sometime now.

The workers carried placards some of which read "pay us our shift allowance", "declare us redundant and we are prepared to go", "how long shall we be in slavery? With Mr. Osei and Co, PFC is like a lion's den". Policemen were hurriedly sent to the factory to maintain law and order.

Mr. Azu, of the Tema district police Command in reaction to the hostile stance by the workers that the presence of the police was to protect life and property and there was no need for the striking workers to attack the Police".

Mr. K. Ampeaw Ossei, Administrative and Human Resource Manager, said the company has been paying the afternoon and night shift allowance for the past 18 months, and was surprised at the turn of events.

Dr Eric Kwei, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said the union executives had denied knowledge of any alleged strike until this morning when he received a phone call on the lockout of the management.