[ 2016-09-28 ]

Expresso workers give telco ultimatum over unpaid wages
Workers of Telecommunications Company Expresso are
pressing on management of the telco to pay them
all arrears owed them by the 1st week of October,
2016 or face their wrath.

The development follows the inability of the
company to settle workers salaries for over 18
months.

In a bid to drum home their concerns the workers
this morning [Wednesday] held a protest at the
company’s headquarters.

The workers with red bands clad around their
wrists said they were forced to embark on the
protest because of the company’s silence on the
matter.

‘If they can’t pay us they should tell us so
we go. I’m left with one year to go on pension
and yet look at my situation. Nobody is telling us
anything. We are human; they should at least
respect that and explain issues to us. But they
choose to keep mute on the matter. We come in
every morning, go back when the day is over. Such
is the routine as we are still working’. One of
the workers told Citi Business News’ Jessica
Ayorkor Aryee who was at the headquarters this
morning.

According to some of the workers the none payment
of their wages have pushed them into debt.

‘It’s over so many months now and you know now
with this new credit bureau system if you don’t
pay your bank loan for some time, they will
blacklist you and it goes against you the person.
We owe the banks; we have to service the loans.

It’s affecting me in so many ways, my family,
our rent, our land lords are on our necks and some
of us have even been evicted. Our children are
home because we cannot pay their fees, water bills
have all jammed up and we are unable to pay
because of that ECG has disconnected our
lights’.

Meanwhile the workers want management to pay at
least one third of the accrued salary arrears,
SSNIT, Provident Fund, 2nd Tier, Medicare among
others by 1st week of October or face their
wrath.

Local Union Secretary of the company Edward Anane
told Citi Business News ‘ we are telling
management to settle at least one third of the
accrued salary, SSNIT, etc by the first week of
October. We will not wait. We have held the fort
for so long and since our approach to management
has not yielded anything we will take the next
step’.

Efforts to reach management of the company on the
matter proved futile.

Expresso challenges

Expresso has been facing financial and operational
challenges for years.

The telecom operator has been struggling to secure
an investor for some time now, the development has
led to a reduction in Expresso’s market share to
about 0.36% as at the first quarter of this year.

Earlier some players within the telecom industry
warned that the company risks folding up if it
fails to find an investor soon.

NCA to revoke Expresso’s license

The National Communications Authority (NCA)
earlier told Citi Business News it had begun the
processes to revoke the license of Expresso.

According to the NCA’s Director for Engineering
Henry Kanor the prolonged inactivity of Expresso
is affecting industry stakeholders and creating a
shortfall in the revenue targets of the regulator
and government.

In an interview with Citi Business News, Henry
Kanor said there will be a policy statement on
Expresso shortly if it fails to get an investor to
invest in the company soon.

“We have a regulatory regime that is enshrined
in their license and so we gave triggered that and
a discussion has to be taken in that regard. I
should think that is why they are now seriously
looking for investors to come invest in the
company.” Henry Kanor stated that “The status
quo cannot remain the same for long, we want to
make sure that customers get the best services, we
want to get revenues for government and as
regulator we need revenue to survive.”

Source - citibsinessnews.com

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