Management of Melcom Group of Companies has dismissed reports that victims of the catastrophic collapse of the departmental store in Achimota have been left in the lurch.
Peacefmonline.com investigations reveal that the final compensation package is still being worked out by the National Labour Commission.
In an exclusive interview with the Public Relations Officer of the Melcom Group of Companies, Richmond Oduro Kwarteng (Billy Ocean), he reinforced our findings by stating that �the process of adequately recompensing the victims of the tragic incident is in the process of manifesting due to the commitment of the Management of the Melcom Group in seeking the welfare of every employee, dissimilar of reports that Melcom is dragging its feet on the issue�.
Earlier reports claim Melcom has somewhat refused to financially resettle the victims of the 7th November 2012 incident, thus leaving the victims to face the unpleasant consequences of the horrific episode on their own.
But Mr. Oduro Kwarteng, in challenging the report said, �we have risen to our responsibilities with regards to payment of medical bills of the victims from recognized hospitals, right from the very day the calamity happened�.
On the question as to why there has been a delay in the payment of compensation claims, he explained that, after regular medical reviews by the survivors of the tragedy in November and December, a final Doctor-Patient appointment was booked for 23rd and 24th January at 37 Military Hospital and Achimota Hospitals to ascertain their fitness.
According to information available to Peacefmonline which Billy Ocean confirmed, �the administration of the hospitals on 13th and 25th January submitted to the Melcom Group, the official Labour forms filled out by the assigned doctor(s) indicating the various degrees of the victims� injury and their state of health at the time, together with the expected date of full recovery in order for them to return to work�.
�These forms were handed over to the Labour office on 7th February, 2013 as prescribed by law for the Labour Commission to calculate the final compensations for the injured employees of the Melcom disaster� he said.
He however revealed that some of the victims did not help their case when they decided to take their medical records home with them, this is in spite of the fact that Melcom Management has taken pains to inform them (the victims) of the vital role the records would play in their settlement package.
The Melcom PRO further disclosed that, out of the fifty three people who were involved in the incident on that unfortunate day, thirteen sadly lost their lives and forty had various degrees of injury. However most of these forty employees were passed as fit enough by the hospitals to resume their duties in other branches of Melcom but only a hand full of them have done so.
According to him, �this is the stage in which we are now. We are still awaiting the final decision regarding the compensation being worked out by the Labour Commission.�
Source: Prince Obimpeh/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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