The board of Ghana International Airlines is meeting Monday to discuss the very few options available to the national carrier in its current difficult state. According to a letter inviting board members to the meeting, the future of employees will be the main issue on the agenda. The meeting comes at a time when the airline has almost collapsed under a heavy debt burden, with workers unpaid for the past three months. Joy FM’s acting Business Editor, Israel Laryea visited the company’s head offices and filed the following report about what he says looks like an entity down on its knees. Report The national carrier shares the same office block as financial institution, Pro Credit and oil exploration firm, Kosmos Energy. The offices of the ProCredit and Kosmos are however a sharp contrast to that of GIA. The lift in the structure is out of service, through no fault of GIA though. So I made my way up the stairs. On the second floor where the airline is located is a private security officer barely visible from behind a counter which used to be their front desk with empty seats which in the good old days or fairly better days would seat very well-dressed or excited passengers. A giant sized industrial fan blowing heavily is what cools off stranded passengers who come around still hopeful that they may be flown to their destinations under the current repatriation arrangement by the government. I was told to wait out there in the verandah whilst the security officer went into the south wing of the floor to get me the Chief Executive. Whilst waiting I couldn’t help but peek into the other wing which even though had a few workers in there, was without electricity. I got suspicious and wondered if they had been disconnected for non-payment of bills. This wasn’t however the case. Phone lines I was told, have however been disconnected for non-payment of bills. Staff who have not been paid for nearly four months meanwhile have stopped reporting to work, mostly because they say they are unable to get money for their transportation. Only a few of the 150 or so report to work on a regular basis and even for them, there is virtually nothing to be done and so quite a number of them have been asked to take compulsory leave whilst the government is said to be scrutinizing their appointment contracts. But the company overall is in a real mess, with most of its vehicles broken down and just a few days remaining on its tenancy agreement for what it calls its office now. The government which is the majority shareholder for now is more concerned about how to repatriate thousands of passengers who have been stranded because the airline has not been flying for the past four months. Meanwhile, a member of the GIA board, Sammy Crabbe tells Joy Business he will not take part in the meeting on the grounds that he does not recognize the current Board Chair and some of the government representatives on the board. Source: Joy Business/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana