By Desmond Gbeleh Wion
Senior Reporter
Firestone Plantation workers have commended Labour Minister Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. for his role in securing significant benefits through the renegotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with Firestone Rubber Plantation Company. The agreement, concluded after three months of negotiations personally supervised by Minister Kruah, has been praised for delivering what the workers describe as “huge fringe benefits.”
Rodennic Bongorlee, President of the Firestone Workers Union, acknowledged Minister Kruah’s intervention in securing at least fifty percent of retirement benefits for workers before they begin the formal process of claiming their NASSCORP benefits. Additionally, the new CBA introduces a special benefit package called “Handshake” for retired or terminally ill workers, which serves as an incentive for long-term service to the company.
Workers also applauded Minister Kruah for halting the planned relocation of employees to unfinished housing facilities and for ensuring that all daily hired workers were granted full employment status, thus improving their economic standing. Bongorlee emphasized that the newly renegotiated CBA offers more advantages compared to previous agreements and called on both workers and management to adhere strictly to its provisions.
Firestone Plantation Company Government Relations Manager Richard Fallah and LLC Secretary General Marcus Blamah reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the CBA and maintaining industrial peace within the company. In response to the workers’ commendation, Minister Kruah reiterated the government’s dedication to safeguarding both workers’ rights and investment interests under President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s ‘ARREST AGENDA.’ Firestone’s Deputy Director of Communications and Public Affairs, E. Fredrick Baye, also reaffirmed the company’s commitment to upholding the agreement with the Workers Union. The newly signed CBA will remain in effect for three years starting in 2025 and will be subject to review.
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