GHANA COCOA MARKETING BOARD vs. MARTIN A. ATUAHENE [2017]DLHC4817

Date	2017-01-17
Suit No.	CIVIL MOTION NO: H1/90/2014
Citation No.	[2017]DLHC4817

E. K. AYEBI (PRESIDING) JA

GERTRUDE TORKORNOO (MRS.) JA

ANGELINA M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS.) JA

AKWASI OPOKU FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

MR. JOHN BREFO FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2017]DLHC4817
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GHANA COCOA MARKETING BOARD&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MARTIN A. ATUAHENE <o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL
MOTION NO: H1/90/2014&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 17TH JANUARY,
2017<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
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mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi"><o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>AKWASI OPOKU FOR
DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MR.
JOHN BREFO FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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E.
K. AYEBI (PRESIDING) JA, GERTRUDE TORKORNOO (MRS.) JA, ANGELINA M. DOMAKYAAREH
(MRS.) JA<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AYEBI,
JA<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
In
this appeal, the defendant/appellant (referred to as appellant) is challenging
the conclusion of the trial court that she is liable to pay the
plaintiff/respondent (referred to as respondent) and other colleagues on whose
behalf he sued, severance pay for loss of employment with the defendant/appellant
in the year 2000.<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
facts of the case are the usual ones we hear in employer-employee relationship
in a staggering economy like ours.&nbsp; The
Cocoa Industry which has been the mainstay of our economy since independence is
no exception despite its structured organization and management from the
grassroot through various agencies.&nbsp; It
is trite knowledge that the Agency which buys the cocoa directly from the
farmers and hauls it to the port for export was the Produce Buying Agency a
subsidiary of the appellant.&nbsp; In 1974,
the respondent (Martin Atuahene) was engaged as a driver of the Produce Buying
Agency.&nbsp; He rose through the ranks and
retired as a Chief Driver of the Produce Buying Company Ltd.<o:p></o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This
is because in or before 1999, the Produce Buying Agency was converted into a
Limited Liability company and still ran as a subsidiary of the appellant.&nbsp; But in or about 1999/2000, the appellant
privatized the Produce Buying Company Ltd. by off-loading its shares to a third
party and was listed on the Stock Exchange.&nbsp;
By the divestiture of its shares leading to the privatization, Produce
Buying Company Ltd (PBC Ltd.) ceased to be a subsidiary of the appellant
company.<o:p></o:p>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</s</main>