WSFL to pay salaries of agitating workers by Friday
The Management of Western Steel and Forgings Limited (WSFL), on Monday assured striking workers of the corporate entity that their salaries would be paid on Friday, May 13.
Nana Ofosua Tamakloe, Corporate Affairs Director, said the Company was also committed to ensure that the workers who were affected by the series of industrial accidents received the best possible medical treatment and compensation.
Nana Tamakloe who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra assured the agitating personnel that since the WSFL was established in 2005, Management had not reneged in the payment of salaries and had no intention of doing so despite the accident.
Production was disrupted last Thursday, following an accident at the factory, which injured some workers, compelling visiting Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah to order the closure of the facility.
“There is no month the workers have gone without their salaries,” she stressed.
The workers who are apparently not happy by the delay of their salaries as a result of the accident laid down their tools on Monday.
Nana Tamakloe said Management met with the workers comprising 430 permanent and a large number of casual personnel and assured them that the Company had contacted its bankers and by Friday they would receive their salaries.
Nana Tamakloe expressed dissatisfaction that the General Manufacturers and Metal Workers Union had gone public with one-sided stories about the Company without seeking the side of Management and gave the assurance that the doors of the corporate body are opened for dialogue.
“We have four steel mills in Ghana and WSFL is a solely owned Ghanaian Company. It is therefore unfortunate for people to run down such a huge investment offering employment to Ghanaians without contacting the company.
Nana Tamakloe issued a statement last week, saying: “WSFL is stunned by the reports placed in the media; particularly pictures placed on the internet purported to be the scene of the accident. We wish to state categorically that those pictures were not from the scene of the accident and that there was no explosion of that nature at the factory.
“The factory doors are opened to all interested persons to verify what had happened and to also understand the company’s Safety, Health and Environmental standards, guidelines and procedures, the statement said.
WSFL has been hit by three incidents whilst the workers were busily discharging their duties.
The first incident occurred on Thursday, April 21 at the Steel Melting Shop (SMS) at about 0740 hours during the daily SMS work routine. There was a sudden boiling and splattering of molten metal that injured 13 workers.
The affected employees had burns on their bodies; one fell in an attempt to escape and sustained injuries on the knee. The injured were sent to Narh – Bita Hospital for the necessary medical treatment.
Eight of them were treated and discharged while the remaining five are still on admission.
The statement said: “Our investigation suggests that the boiling and splattering of the molten metal was due to the charging of foreign material within the scrap used in the furnace.”
The Second Incident occurred on Friday, April 22 at the Oxygen plant. At about 1247 hours two employees were filling oxygen cylinders when one of the cylinders burst, injuring the two employees.
They were sent to Tema General Hospital for treatment and later referred to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for further medical attention.
Investigations are still on going to confirm the exact cause of this incident.
The third incident occurred on Saturday, April 30 at 2015 hours. The injured, Martin Gyekye was poking the first charge mix when there was a sudden splash of hot air from a partly sealed object. There were three other employees present who were not harmed.
Source: GNA