Ghana Post workers appeal to government for intervention
The about 2,600 workers of Ghana Post (GP) Company would not be paid salaries this month due to GH¢2.4 million damages awarded against the company by an Accra High Court in favour of the management of Sky Consult and Management Services.
In addition, the court ordered garnishee to freeze all accounts of the company in the country therefore; it could not access funds to run its operations.
Mr Theophilus Yeboah, the Chairman of Local Union of Ghana Post, appealed to President John Atta Mills to intervene to save the company from collapse as well as preventing the management of Sky Consult and Management from using the courts to make financial demands on the company.
He told newsmen on Tuesday that the company was also indebted to Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and other allied agencies to the tune of GH¢10 million.
Mr Yeboah appealed to the Attorney General and Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to investigate operations of the Instant Money Transfer (IMT) to verify claims by management of Sky Consult against GP to pay GH¢2.4 million.
He said in February 2009, the Minister of Communications constituted a committee of enquiry to investigate alleged financial malfeasance into the operations of IMT because it owed GP GH¢787,106 and Sky Consult GH¢1,322,504 being their share of outstanding profits after the IMT ceased operations.
“Available information indicated that IMT owed the two companies and not GP because IMT was operating as an autonomous body,” he said.
Mr Yeboah said when operations of IMT ceased it left behind a debt of GH¢135,683 to MTN, GH¢52,599 to Vodafone and GH¢298,875 to its customers out of which management of GP had managed to settled all leaving a balance of GH¢60,000 to MTN.
He said under the IMT operations, the management of Sky Consult and Management Services in June 2005 entered into an agreement with GP to operate IMT services at its premises nation-wide.
Mr Yeboah said managements of both companies agreed to separate IMT transactions from GP financial records and accounts and opened new bank account with Ghana Commercial Bank in the name of IMT to facilitate its operations.
He said a separate Board of Directors was established for IMT with Mr Abu Miller, Director of Sky Consult and Management Services made the Chairman and operated as an autonomous entity for three years until its operations ceased in October, 2008.
Mr Yeboah said during its operations about GH¢600,000 was remitted from the IMT account with GCB at the High Street branch to Ghana Post to settle expenses made on behalf of IMT.
He said salaries weere paid to over 300 personnel of IMT on an average of GH¢75,000 per month for three years on the payroll of GP in addition to the payment of electricity, rent and telephone bills.
Source: GNA