We were never paid bonuses at the end of 2021; Paul Adom-Otchere lied – Airport workers

Workers of the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) have called board chairman Paul Adom-Otchere a liar following his claim that workers were paid salary and bonuses in December 2021.

In a statement from Paul Adom-Otchere via his Facebook wall last week, he stated emphatically that “All salaries and or bonuses due staff for December have been paid.”

This was part of a reaction to a claim that the GACL blew a whopping amount of GHS84,000 on Christmas trees to decorate the arrival hall of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) during the yuletide period.

But the workers of Ghana Airport Limited have issued a statement insisting that Paul Adom-Otchere peddled lies.

“It is never the case that GACL employees were paid bonuses at the end of the year 2021 as was put out there by the Board chairman. In actual fact, the last time bonuses were paid in GACL, was in 2017. Indeed as we speak 2018 bonus which was negotiated for is still in arrears,” part of a statement issued by the Divisional Union has said.

It adds, “for the records, employees December 2021, salaries were paid in January 2022, contrary to what was communicated by the Board chairman. This practice is so alien to GACL and is only gaining prominence in the last few months under the watch of the Board Chair.”

Workers of Ghana Airport Limited note that any attempt to play with the future of the hardworking employees of GACL shall be fiercely resisted.

Below is the full statement from the Divisional Union:

Below are details of the statement

RE: PAYMENT OF BONUS & DEC. SALARIES TO GACL STAFF- BOARD CHAIR

The attention of the Divisional Union has been drawn to a statement circulating on social media attributed to the Board chairman of GACL.

The statement is putting so much pressure on staff leadership hence our decision to respond accordingly.

While staying away from the substantive issue which appears to border on abuse of office, we wish to correct some misrepresentations that were contained in the said release;

Fact 6,

It is never the case that GACL employees were paid bonuses at the end of the year 2021 as was put out there by the Board chairman. In actual fact, the last time bonuses were paid in GACL, was in 2017. Indeed as we speak 2018 bonus which was negotiated for is still in arrears.

Again, for the records, employees December 2021, salaries were paid in January 2022, contrary to what was communicated by the Board chairman. This practice is so alien to GACL and is only gaining prominence in the last few months under the watch of the Board Chair.

Such factually inaccurate statements only end up giving rise to staff agitations especially with the knowledge that the Board has failed to give mandate to management to commence negotiations on staff conditions of service with the Union after proposals were submitted in the middle of November, 2021.

We want to assure all that any attempt to play with the future of the hardworking employees of GACL shall be fiercely resisted.

Long live GACL.

By the Divisional Union.

Source: Modernghana