Why NABCO should have paid October Stipend to all Trainees [Contract Explained]

For a lot of us Nation Builders, we are continuing to receive our placement messages and that is very good for us. However, there is the question as to whether NABCO will pay the salary or allowance for October 2018.

For some people, the claim is that NABCO Trainees have not “done any work” and therefore do not deserve any salary.

There has been a lot of argument on the NABCO facebook page with some people claiming that the October salary will not come. Others also say it will only come after 3 months.

The purpose of this write-up is not about how long the salary will take to be paid; but rather about whether it will be paid or not.

Remember all those NABCO postponements that have happened? Had we started NABCO work in April, by now the government would have paid us GHS 700 × 6(April – October) = GHS 4,900.

However, for all of those months, except for October, there were no contract binding the government and NABCO Trainees.

A Contract is a Contract

NABCO, through the engagement letter with trainees, has entered into a contract with them.

Take this scenario: If someone employs you and asks you to wait for her while she sets up her office and therefore does not give you any specific responsibilities to fulfil, would you take the salary or not?

More specifically, is the person supposed to pay you or not?

Let’s look at the engagement letter government gave to trainees. Find a section of the letter  that deals with stipends below:

When you read the highlighted part of the engagement letter, it is clearly stated that NABCO Trainees will receive their salaries for October.

Radio Confirmation

Minister of information designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said on Citi FM after the passing out ceremony that government would surely honour the contract they have with NABCO trainees.

And what is the contract? That stipends will start to be paid starting from the end of October 2018.

Listen to him as he speaks on the issue below. Press the play sign:

Take this other scenario as told by one Facebook User – J’ai Kwame

Imagine that a factory (NABCO trainees) signed a contract with a supplier (NABCO) for the supply of sugarcanes (work).

Now the factory meets its end by purchasing the necessary machinery, with qualified labour available having passed all safety checks and conditions and certified for operations (registration, verification, interviews, validation, contractual engagement letters signed, uploaded and accepted and orientation/work readiness).

But the supplier, it keeps postponing and delaying. Mind you, the machinery, they suffer wear and tear, labour gets restless and turnover rises and costs rise.

Machinery that needs to be repaired and, or replaced (further training), and labour which has sought financial assistance for rent and other expenses based on the contractual agreement on work start date and salary payments; how are they going to meet those obligations.

The damage it does to the mind, the sleeplessness and worry on how to service those loans are not humane. Mind you they (NABCO) weren’t under duress when they said work would start in October and stipends paid at the end of that month.

It can’t be our fault that they failed to provide us with the work for us to do.

A contract is a contract. We satisfied our end of the contract when we completed the orientation and made ourselves ready for work.

Conclusion

Well, if there is one thing we are sure of, it is the competency of the government to deliver and follow the rule of law. And it is because of this that NABCO will pay the GHS 700 Stipend to all NABCO trainees who qualify to receive it (Some people didn’t fill their engagement forms and others didn’t submit).

However, things may go there could be disappointments, but I prefer to remain optimistic. I am a proud nation builder.

Update: We are at a point where we are not even getting stipend for the months that we have worked.