CPC shuts down two plants due to operational challenges
The Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) Limited has temporarily shut down its two cocoa processing plants because of what it describes as operational challenges.
Advertisement
The management has, therefore, directed that all staff of the company should stay at home as part of their annual leave with effect from January 25, 2016 while the factories remain shut.
This was contained in a circular dated January 25, 2016 and addressed to members of staff.
Established in 1965, the CPC has three plants, comprising two cocoa processing factories and a confectionery factory.
The cocoa processing factories have an annual throughput of 64,500 tonnes of premium Ghana cocoa beans which are processed into cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa cake and cocoa powder.
Fears allayed
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Senior Public Relations Manager of the CPC, Mr James Ekow Rhule, has allayed the fears of the affected workers and the public, saying the shutdown is to pave the way for a planned maintenance of the two cocoa processing factories.
He said although management normally carried out such planned maintenance in December, the company had a contract to process cocoa liquor and butter for some companies and that affected the scheduled maintenance which should have come off in December 2015.
Mr Rhule explained that the CPC could not finish the contract by the scheduled date of December 31, 2015 and had to extend the completion date to the first week of January this year, meaning the planned maintenance remained outstanding.
He said the management of the company, therefore, decided to ask the workers, numbering about 80, to go on leave now and shut down the factories in order to embark on the planned maintenance and rehabilitation of the two plants.
“This will mean that when we resume, the factories will be fully set for operations and we will not have the luxury of time to entertain requests for leave and so on,” he said.
ICU intervention
The Tema Regional Officer of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Mr Eleazer Nyaunu, told newsmen that the union had been fully briefed on the decision to temporarily shut down the plant.
He allayed the fears of workers and gave an assurance that the ICU would not sit unconcerned while the workers’ rights were trampled upon.
“All those affected will be paid their leave allowance and other conditions of service will be duly applied,” he said.
Mr Nyaunu said while that particular exercise was not an annual one, it was also not abnormal in the operations of businesses, adding that once a while when there was the need to allow workers to go on leave en bloc, letters were written to that effect to all concerned.
He said the union would engage management in further meetings to discuss the issue in order to assuage the fears of the affected workers.
Writer’s email: [email protected]
