Management of the Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL) has denied laying off 600 workers due to lack of raw materials.
Earlier reports indicated that about 600 workers of the Akosombo Textiles Limited have been asked to go home due to a shortage of raw materials.
But the company has denied this assertion.
According to its management, it is rather in the process of increasing production activities which will then require the company to employ more Ghanaians.
The company has asked Ghanaians to ignore reports of a lay off as it is untrue.
Marketing Manager at the Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL), Samuel Arday who spoke to Citi Business News said no such decision has been taken nor carried out by the company.
“ATL has not laid off any workers and we do not intend to lay off any workers any time soon. At the moment, we are even planning to increase our production activities from two shifts to three shifts which means that we will have to employ more people in the near future. Like every production institution, we have our planned production schedule so if one visits my factory and I am doing maintenance, it doesn’t mean that I’ve laid off my workers but I have planned schedules and I have when I do production it depends on the demand. Currently, we have not laid off 600 workers because of lack of raw materials,” he said.
In the past, management of ATL had threatened to lay off workers if government fails to help in revamping the ailing sector.
They have also often complained about the takeover of the industry by cheap and smuggled textiles from China.
Mr. Arday further tells Citi Business News government as part of its industrialization drive, it is working towards including their outfit in producing fabric for uniforms for 100,000 graduates under the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) program which they believe will refurbish the sector.
“We made a plea for printing fabrics, uniforms for the NABCO graduates which we have been awarded to produce the fabric. Such contract going forward, will help the textile companies grow when we encourage made in Ghana products and fabrics awarded to Ghanaian companies rather than being awarded to or sent to foreign companies”.
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By: Jessica Ayorkor Aryee/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana.