<\/p>\n
The management of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) has said its workers rejected a 22 percent increment in salaries, saying it was insufficient.<\/p>\n
The company felt this increment should have been welcomed by the agitating workers.<\/p>\n
In a statement, VALCO said, the union executives, made an initial demand of a 62 percent salary increment to the Management of VALCO, and subsequently reduced it to 55 percent.<\/p>\n
In response, the Management of VALCO said it offered the workers the 22 percent increase \u201cwith the assurance of further increment in the future as VALCO continues its efforts in finding a strategic investor to retrofit the plant.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Management of VALCO said it appealed to the workers to consider the current state of the Aluminium Smelter, which had been recording losses for years until 2021.<\/p>\n
The over 300 workers in protest have shut down the smelter.<\/p>\n
During the protest, the workers have also called for their salaries to be pegged to the dollar, which has appreciated greatly to the cedi in recent months.<\/p>\n
VALCO has, however, said these demands from the workers are \u201cuntenable and must be disregarded.\u201d<\/p>\n
It further indicated to the workers union executives that they will have to invite an independent arbiter to take up the matter after negotiations ended up in a stalemate.<\/p>\n
Click here to read the full statement from VALCO\u00a0<\/p>\n