Workers of the Specialised Timber Products Limited (STP), a sawmill in Kumasi, last Tuesday went on rampage and locked up the top personnel of the company for about five hours, to back their demand for the payment of their salary arrears running into about ?600million.

They asked for the re-engagement of a former managing director of the company, Mr. Imad C. Berbari to help save the company from collapse. It took the intervention of the police to restore calm, as the workers were not ready to allow any management personnel to go out of the company?s premises until their monies had been paid them. According to them, the company had been closed for the past two months without the workers receiving salaries since May 2004.

They accused the current management, headed by Mr. Yaw Owusu-Ansah, of incompetence and mismanagement and who had led to the virtual collapse of the company. The angry workers stated that the management had become apathetic towards their welfare. The union chairman, Mr. Timothy Ghefo said though there were some lapses during Mr. Berbari?s administration, he always made the welfare of the workers his top priority. ?We never had salaries delayed, our allowances and bonuses were also promptly paid but now here we are without even our pay for four solid months, he said.