The Cocoa Carriers Association, under the leadership of Mr. Atanga Raymond, Chairman of the Ghana Cocoa Carriers Association, has initiated a strike to protest the insufficient pay and poor working conditions faced by carriers.
The strike, which commenced today 7th October, 2024 spans three centers—Takoradi, Tema, and Kumasi—and aims to drum home their grievances about inadequate compensation and the lack of sustainable working arrangements.
According to Mr. Atanga every season, cocoa carriers negotiate with their directors, who then forward their grievances to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Despite previous discussions, the pay increment for this season has fallen short of expectations.
“Last season, it was 1 cedi, 20 pesewas, and this season before the season began, we informed them that they should do something about the price, and they asked us to wait patiently, so we [worked] and waited, expecting the increment.”
Mr. Atanga Raymond Chairman of Ghana Cocoa Carriers Association
The Weight Burden and Daily Struggles
The carriers are expected to carry 64.5-kilogram bags, a task they find increasingly strenuous, especially given the low pay. Mr. Atanga pointed out that even if a carrier manages to carry the first load if they are unable to carry the second, they lose out on payment entirely. He expressed his frustration with the insufficient compensation.
“If the amount could support us to sustain ourselves in our daily cost of living, we would have considered it, but the truth is that we are taking care of bills that the work we do does not sustain us any longer.”
Mr. Atanga Raymond Chairman of Ghana Cocoa Carriers Association
The carriers also argued that the directors seem more concerned about their financial gains than the welfare of the workers. He lamented; “At the minimal work we do a day if a carrier is getting, like, GHS90, a director is getting, like, GHS560 a day who doesn’t know how a cocoa sack looks like.”
Directors’ Influence and Lack of Union Representation
The carriers believe that the directors are part of the problem, influencing workers to keep quiet.
“Instead of them going to COCOBOD, they started deceiving some of our gang members, and they started influencing their companies and telling them that if the other [workers] will make noise, they should go and work.”
Mr. Atanga Raymond Chairman of Ghana Cocoa Carriers Association
Moreover, Mr. Atanga lamented the lack of a union for representation.
“We wrote letters to COCOBOD and tried to confront them, but they said they don’t know us, they know our directors. We wrote letters to CMC, the management, and they said they don’t know us, how they know our directors.”
Mr. Atanga Raymond Chairman of Ghana Cocoa Carriers Association
The absence of a union has left the carriers without an effective channel to voice their concerns, forcing them to resort to striking as their only means of protest.
Insufficient Employment and Dire Living Conditions
Mr. Atanga highlighted the precariousness of their situation. He lamented; “We have 12 months in a year, and we are only working for four months. The rest of the eight months, they don’t care how we survive.”
The carriers feel abandoned by their employers during the off-season, with directors only showing interest when the new season begins, often imposing arbitrary prices on them.
However, the carriers remain skeptical about the proposed one-week waiting period, insisting that COCOBOD could resolve the issue in a single day if they chose to do so.
“CMC in Tema has sat with the carriers, and they are trying to say that COCOBOD has given us the way to bypass our directors and come to them with a letter… but we believe what Cocobod will do, they can use one day to do it.”
Mr. Atanga Raymond Chairman of Ghana Cocoa Carriers Association
The carriers are resolved to continue the strike until their demands are met, and they are prepared for an extended standoff if necessary. He added; “For the period, they will hear us. They will respond to us. So, if they are silenced, we are also silenced. We are not going to work.”
The cocoa carriers’ strike highlighted the difficult working conditions and inadequate pay faced by these essential workers in Ghana’s cocoa industry.
While their role is critical in transporting cocoa, one of the country’s main export commodities, they are treated as expendable labor, forced to endure long periods of unemployment and insufficient compensation.
As the strike continues, all eyes are on COCOBOD and the CMC to see if they will address the carriers’ demands and negotiate a fair solution.
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