[ 2016-05-13 ]

ICU led a demonstration against Dr Opuni, who has some backing within COCOBOD

Dr Opuni accused of expending $175,000 on house gate

The Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union
(ICU) is wondering how a petition filed at the
Attorney General’s Department and the Commission
of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)
over Dr Stephen Opuni's management of the Ghana
Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has not received hearing.


The Union’s Executive Secretary, Solomon Kotei,
said members of ICU at COCOBOD cannot wait for the
case to be called by CHRAJ and the Attorney
General.

COCOBOD’s Chief Executive Officer is under fire
from some of his workers, who accuse him of
misappropriating funds.

A demonstration was staged on Thursday, May 12 for
his dismissal.

Though some staff at COCOBOD have dissociated
themselves from the demonstration and a subsequent
march to the Ministry of Employment and Labour
Relations, Mr Kotei, who led the demonstrating
workers, said Dr Opuni’s actions require
immediate investigation.

“Tony Fofie, the former Chief Executive occupied
that for barely four months,” he said about the
official residence of Dr Opuni.

“Now they gave the place to Stephen Opuni and
renovation that has been done there is running
over GH¢600, 000,” Mr Kotei told TV3’s Daniel
Opoku on Friday, May 13.

“The gate alone is $175,000. His travel expenses
alone...one trip caused the COCOBOD over
$24,000.”

‘Punitive tranfers’

He explained that “if Dr Stephen Opuni had
agreed to come to table for us to discuss, then
there will be a focus as to which direction we
will be going”.

The labour activist said Dr Opuni imposed
“punitive transfers” as a result of staff
raising questions about his style of leadership.

He cited staff of the marketing and audit
departments as victims of Dr Opuni’s 'punitive
tranfers'.

Separately, the Deputy Minister of Employment and
Labour Relations, Baba Jamal, has assured that
government will see to resolving the issues.

The member of Ghana’s parliament says he will be
part of the dispute resolution team.

Source - tv3network.com|

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