Workers of Obourwe Fisheries Company at Tema on Monday appealed to the government to intervene on their behalf to compel the owner of the Company, Mrs Gladys Brenya to pay their outstanding salaries totalling 371.2 million cedis.

The 131 employees have not been paid for over three years and this has brought untold hardships on them. They said it was only the government that could impress on Mrs Brenya alias Dede to pay their salaries because they have exhausted all avenues to retrieve their money but to no avail.

Mr Kwabena O. Afriyie, General Secretary of the Maritime and Dockworkers Union (MDU), who led the workers to stage a three-hour demonstration, presented a petition to Mr Samuel Evans Ashong Narh, Tema Municipal Chief Executive at his office.

The peaceful demonstration started from the fishing harbour through the principal streets and ended at the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA).

The petition signed by Mr Ebenezer Kodwo Taylor, secretary of the Tema District Council of the MDU, said as a result of the non-payment of salaries, 15 of the employees have lost their lives while some could not afford to pay their medical bills and children's school fees.

The workers who wore red bands on their heads and wrists bore placards some of which read: "Government save your brothers from untold hardships and broken homes", "Obourwe, respect the law for human rights" and "Obourwe funded political activities".

Mr Narh promised to present the resolution to the appropriate authorities for action and entreated the workers to continue to exercise restraint so that the situation did not escalate.

The fishing crew has stopped work but workers at the other sections such as the security and mechanical are at post but without salaries.