Retrenched COCOBOD workers petition Parliament over unpaid benefits

A group calling itself the 1993/1994 retrenched Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Officers Association on Wednesday, March 15, picketed at the entrance of Parliament to petition the Speaker over what the members of the group say is the underpayment of their benefits by COCOBOD.

The group bemoans that members were laid off in the years 1993 and 1994 without due diligence by COCOBOD.

However, following legal action against the dismissal, the court directed COCOBOD to pay the required benefits to the former workers.

Speaking to journalists, the spokesperson of the group, William Boafo said the funds paid by COCOBOD do not correspond to their entitlements hence the need for the Speaker of Parliament and the Office of the Special Prosecutor to probe the matter.

“We were at various departments, and various divisions working in various areas throughout the country and we were laid off in 1993 and some in 1994. It became a court issue and in 2019 the court gave a ruling that Cocobod should pay us our benefits but in 2020 COCOBOD started issuing cheques to us, and it was nothing to write home about.”

Mr Boafo added that some of the former workers received as low as GH¢400 which was woefully inadequate. He added that several pleas and meeting with officials of COCOBOD to rectify the anomaly has proved futile.

He revealed that over 14, 000 workers were affected by the retrenchment by COCOBOD.