In a writ filed at the Labour Division of the Accra High Court, Joycelyn Twum\u2013Barima, is making a case that after serving the company for 17 years, ABL terminated her employment without recourse to the law and the collective bargaining agreement of the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plaintiff, therefore, wants the court to order ABL to pay her damages for the termination of her employment or alternatively, a redundancy package in line with the collective bargaining agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She is further seeking damages for hardship, embarrassment, psychological and emotional trauma which she claims to have suffered as a result of the termination of her employment by ABL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Counter suit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In its defence, ABL has denied wrongfully terminating the plaintiff\u2019s employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather, the company argues that it decided to move the plaintiff from her position as the Plant Manager to Product Development Specialist, but the plaintiff refused to work and also refused other options offered her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFollowing plaintiff\u2019s refusal to return to work or accept any of the options, the defendant terminated plaintiff\u2019s employment in accordance with defendant\u2019s conditions of service and paid her salary in lieu of notice\u201d, the company stated in its statement of defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The company has also filed a counter claim, seeking an order of the court directed at the plaintiff to return an official vehicle, laptop and mobile phone ABL gave her during her employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plaintiff\u2019s case<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a 42- paragraph statement of claim detailing her case, the plaintiff said she started working at ABL in 2006 as an intern and by dint of hard work and dedication, was offered permanent employment the same year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the statement of claim, she was promoted to numerous managerial positions, including Laboratory Manager and Brewing Manager until her appointment as the first female Plant Manager of ABL in December 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plaintiff said ABL made a big media splash about her appointment as the first female Plant Manager, including a publication in the Daily Graphic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is her case that on May 29, 2022, she was told that the company was facing problems in the Packaging Unit and ,therefore, she would be replaced as the Plant Manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said ABL then told her to go back to her previous position \u2013Brewing Manager, but she refused because that was a demotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, she said on July 1, 2022, she was offered a new position as the Product Development Specialist with the same salary as Plant Manager for two years, after which she would revert the conditions of the new position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlaintiff avers that in her response on July 5, 2022 she stated why she could not accept the job change, which was a demotion,\u201d the statement of claim stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n