Trasacco Blames Layoff of Casual Workers on Economic Hard Conditions

Trasacco’s Director of Finance and Administration, Deepak Kumar Das

Accra, Ghana, October 18, 2018//-Italian construction firm, Trasacco Estates Development Company Limited has justified the decision to lay off some of their workers.

More than 100 contract workers of the company on Wednesday, protested against the firm which builds Accra’s most luxurious homes.

The demonstration was against the company’s decision to pay them only 25 percent of their salaries after sacking them two months ago without pay.

But in an interview with Citi News, Trasacco’s Director of Finance and Administration, Deepak Kumar Das insisted that asking staff to go home is standard practice within the construction industry.

“Temporary workers were asked to go on vacation for two months. This is purely due to market conditions, economic conditions and scaling down our operations which is very prominent in any construction industry. It is not new, it happens in prime or major construction companies.  If you don’t have revenue you don’t expect that workers come to work and get paid.”

We have been diligent in our dealings

Management of the company has absolved itself from any wrongdoing.

Deepak Kumar further mentioned that the aggrieved workers know they will be paid what is due them.

“Our position was that, salaries are paid on attendance and on deliverables. So, we thought that while you are at home, we pay you a percentage of your salary.”

“We are surprised about this event. We actually told them to be at home for two months. There were concerns on how we were going to compensate them.

After negotiation, we agreed that the employees will get 25 percent of their basic salary in both October and November. This has been processed and they know about it that it will be paid in the last week of this month, and this has been amicably concluded”, he noted.

Trasacco workers demonstrate, demand full payment of compensation

After working, day after day, you tend to ignore the danger signs of injury around your working area. For what if you have to change a light bulb in the office, step on a ladder and you fall? How will you pay for the medical bills that shall follow? Alternatively, what if you slip on a wet surface in the office kitchen, which causes you to be out of work for days, weeks or months? You do not have to be a labor worker to collide with accidents on the job. There are dozens of way you may be injured, and the greater knowledge you are able to gain about worker’s compensation, the better prepared you are for the worst.

Many Americans are at their jobs for longer duration of time than at their own homes. Hospital employees work long shift hours, where the danger to exposure to hazardous materials is high. Others work in office buildings, where the offices may be undergoing remodeling leaving wires hanging out putting office workers at risk. You just never know what may occur at work. Thus, what do you do if something, unfortunately, does happen? Employers by law are required to safeguard against carelessness. Specific safety measures must be implemented at all times. However, if the company fails to comply with regulations, the worker can uses the services from Workers Compensation Attorney and then  claim against your work.

Why do you need to file for worker’s compensation?

It is important to file if you are no longer able to work. For example, if you are injured on the job and unable to return, then how will you receive income while being laid up? How will you still be able to live, pay your bills and provide a home for your family. Additionally, what would happen if hazardous work conditions caused you to suffer from an illness leaving you unable to work? How would you put food on the table? How would you be able to keep your home if a job-related disability left you incapable of working? These are all circumstances covered under worker’s compensation. It is constructed to fill in the missing financial gaps.

So how do you file a claim against your work?

It is not a difficult procedure, but there are many details to the filing. If you are not familiar with the process, it may become too overwhelming. In addition, if you are not familiar with the law then you may be losing out via not utilizing it to the fullest potential. Consequently, some people do not take the initial steps to file for there is a common fear of being ousted by your employer. Along the same lines, some people are afraid of losing their jobs and/or being harassed at work if they follow through with worker’s compensation. Thus, it is better to meet with a worker’s compensation attorney.

A worker’s compensation attorney will be able to guide you through the correct course of action. You need to find someone who is experienced. How many cases has the lawyer handled in the past? How many did he/she win? Ask for references. Find out what type of educational background has he/she earned? Once you find an informed and knowledgeable attorney, then the rest will be a team effort never leaving you to fight it alone.

The demonstrators alleged that the company, sacked them verbally, some two months ago, without giving them their retrenchment packages.

The affected staff said they endured harsh working conditions over the years while working with Trasacco.

According to some of them, they had worked as contract workers for eight years without their full salaries, contrary to a stated probation period of 6 months.

They therefore massed up at the company’s headquarters to demand their retrenchment benefits.

By Caleb Kudah & Nii Larte Lartey

This article was originally published citinewsroom.

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