Agitating workers of Tex Styles Ghana Ltd (GTP) have called off their sit-down strike.

This follows a directive by the Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, to call off their strike seeking to remove current Managing Director, Fatoumata Doro.

The workers on February 24, started a sit-down strike, protesting some decisions by their MD, which they described as an affront to the congenial working environment since she took up the reins of the company about six months ago.

They accused the MD of unilaterally making changes to their collective bargaining agreement without going for negotiations, aside from other infractions, considered as counterproductive.

The workers’ concerns and position were made clear in a petition which was later presented to the management of the company by the leadership of Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU) Ghana.

However, after about two hours of meeting, it was quite clear either side was not ready to give in on day one of the strike.

However, the Employment Minister, stepped in to save the situation last Friday.

Deputy General Secretary in charge of Administration, ICU, Samuel Ananga told Joy Business that the first part of the emergency meeting in Accra ended with both parties agreeing to the Minister’s directive.

“He made it clear that he is not a court neither is he a Labour Commission which the parties have appeared before. He only wants peace to prevail as the sector Minister,”

“Both management of GTP and ICU deliberated on the issues. He first asked management to state its case before ours.  He then took a caucus with the union and did same with the management,” he indicated.

According to Mr. Ananga, the Minister first asked ICU to call off the strike and ensure the workers returned to work on 28^th February, 2022 as though nothing had happened in the last few days.

Mr. Baffour-Awuah then directed management of GTP to ensure no worker is victimized either by query or any form for taking part in the strike action.

It could be recalled that the petition by the workers to management asking for dismissal of the MD had concerns bothering on administrative issues and criminality.

These included reducing redundancy package from 12 weeks to six weeks, alleged tax evasion, the disregard for laws of Ghana, among others.

After meeting the Minister, Joy Business understands that all parties agreed to Friday 4^th March, 2022 as the appropriate day to look at concerns that bothered on administration, but those on criminality would be referred to the appropriate security agency to investigate.

ICU, therefore, on Monday, relayed the directive to the disgruntled workers to resume work  if they don’t want the textile company folding up.