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Workers of Electrochem Ghana Limited, a salt production company in the West Ada District of the Greater Accra Region, have gone on rampage over unpaid arrears, severance packages, and unremitted statutory deductions as the company moves to lay them off.
This marks the second demonstration by the workers in the past three weeks. Their latest action was triggered by a letter from management announcing plans to terminate their contracts. A letter signed by the company’s CEO, Kwaku Amprofi, stated that about 300 workers would be laid off with one month’s upfront salary payment — a decision the workers say violates both Ghana’s labour laws and their collective bargaining agreement.
Enoch Tettey Teye, Branch Secretary of the Professional and Managerial Workers Union of the Mine Workers Union at Electrochem, told the media that aside from months of salary arrears, the company had also failed to remit statutory and other deductions. Yet, management was seeking to disengage them without honoring severance obligations.
He explained that at a recent joint negotiation meeting, the workers’ union urged management to urgently develop a roadmap to settle the four months’ salary arrears, which remain the workers’ only source of income. However, before any progress could be made, they received the disengagement letter on August 15, 2025.
“We have pre-acquisition liabilities that were deducted from our salaries but have not been remitted to the appropriate authorities. Even SSNIT Tier 1 has not been fully paid. Tier 2, which is managed by Mutual Fund and Enterprise Fund, has also not been settled, and NPRA has been chasing us with a yellow letter,” Teye said.
He further revealed that deductions made towards the Providence Fund for over a year had not been paid, compelling workers to demand those contributions as well. “Providence, severance, back pay, end-of-service benefits — everything. In fact, we have calculated that the company owes us about GH₵30 million. Until we are paid every last pesewa, we are not going anywhere,” he added.
Meanwhile, VoiceAfricaOnline contacted the company’s management for a response, but officials remained tight-lipped.
Electrochem, led by businessman Daniel McKorley, is also indebted to former workers of the defunct Songor Salt Project, which the company took over. Since 2021, aged ex-workers have been demanding redundancy entitlements, but Electrochem has refused to pay despite a ruling by the National Labour Commission in their favour. Many of the affected pensioners continue to struggle with deteriorating health as they await their benefits.
Electrochem Ghana Limited has repeatedly made headlines for controversies since taking over operations in 2021. With the backing of the Ada Traditional Council, the company was accused of forcefully taking control of the Songor Lagoon, contrary to the area’s master plan, which forbids monopoly of the lagoon by any single investor.
Communities around the lagoon, which previously depended on small-scale salt mining for survival, have been displaced. Several incidents of violence have been recorded, with community members — including chiefs — allegedly brutalised by police, soldiers, and private security personnel. Reports also indicate that some residents were shot dead, while others were left permanently injured during clashes.
The situation has left the Ada Traditional Area tense and volatile, with accusations of human rights abuses and forced takeovers of properties hanging over Electrochem’s operations.
