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General News of Tuesday, 25 December 2012

Source: THE GHANAIAN SUN

160 GTP Workers 24-years Wait For Justice

Story by Dominic Jale& Kofi Safo Antwi (THE GHANAIAN SUN)
The souls of a hitherto dispirited bunch of 160 workers (several of them dead) whose employment was frozen by the stubborn Ghana Textiles Printing Company (GTP) minus the payment of their emoluments for 24 years, has suddenly come alive following an Appeal Court ruling in Accra last Wednesday.
A trio of three Appeal Court judges headed by Justice Ofoe handed out judgment in the favour bringing to an end an unbelievable mass of injustice even the devil frowned upon, that saw several of the poor workers cascade down the sad road to early death following their inability to put heart and soul together. Now an ecstatic bunch of proud workers who, once-upon-a-time lost their spine even in their homes most of them told THE GHANAIAN SUN that even though their entitlements have not hit their bank accounts, they are ready to face Christmas and beyond with hearts full of niceties.
Conspicuously missing in their corner was Counsel Antonio who was about the third lawyer in the 24-year-old case who was busy elsewhere when true justice finally played knick-knack on the mistreated workers’ drum at the Appeals Court. Reading the judgment on behalf of his two colleagues Justice Ofoe dissected the issue at stake for some 45 or so minutes, after which he announced that the Appeals Court had upheld the ruling of the High Court that had handed judgment to the 160 ex-GTP staff. This time, GTP suffered another telling blow when the Court awarded 500-Ghana-Cedi cost against them for each of the workers aside what is to hit their bank accounts.
And while judgment was about to be pronounced Justice Ofoe asked GTP’s counsel Mr. Ayittey if he had any observations to make but the lawyer who, once-upon-a-time surprisingly worked at the Ghana Labour Commission could only say he and GTP were in the hands of the judges.
The landmark case had kick-started several years ago under the leadership of Andrews Kotey a former deputy supervisor Efficiency, Samuel Yamoah of the Clinic, Kpodonu Mensah also of Efficiency and Gideon Appiah Kubi of Maintenance all of GTP previously but somehow, by a twist of fate when judgment arrived 16 of the number had died.
Indeed minutes after the sweet judgment from Justice Ofoe’s lips the ex-workers gathered at the eastern prescints of the Appeal Court to offer a thanksgiving prayer to the Lord, in smothering the devil and judging in their favour. Many dropped tears and desperately tried to beat back the stuff from rolling down their sunken cheeks.
As THE GHANAIAN SUN waded into the sunset, the paper gathered that the joyous workers had arranged a stakeholders meeting for Saturday at an undisclosed destination at Tema, where they were scheduled to discuss details of the emoluments as to which tees to cross and jays to dot. -THE GHANAIAN SUN