Workers of the Produce Buying Company (PBC) Limited have raised an alarm over the non-payment of their salaries for more than 27 months, putting immense pressure on the government to fulfil its pledge to revive the struggling cocoa purchasing firm.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, June 11, 2026, the workers accused the government of failing to act on repeated assurances to restore PBC to its former glory as a leading player in Ghana’s cocoa sector.
The concerns have emerged months after President John Dramani Mahama and Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson publicly promised to reposition the company as the country’s premier licensed cocoa buying firm.
Despite those commitments, the workers say conditions at the company have continued to worsen.
“Workers have gone without salary payment for more than 27 months,” the unions stated, describing the severe hardship being endured by employees and their families.
The workers noted that expectations for a turnaround were raised during the 2024 election campaign when President Mahama, while touring cocoa-growing communities, promised to restore PBC to “its past glory.” Similar assurances were repeated after the elections and earlier this year.
However, the unions say the company remains plagued by financial difficulties, including inadequate working capital, which has disrupted operations and weakened its competitiveness in the cocoa purchasing market.
They also expressed concern over the government’s takeover of the Buipe Shea Processing Factory, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PBC, and called for either its return to the company or the removal of the associated debt from PBC’s books.
The workers painted a grim picture of their welfare, revealing that drivers earn about GH¢1,000 a month, while clerical staff receive between GH¢1,200 and GH¢1,500. Some senior staff reportedly earn between GH¢2,050 and GH¢3,500 despite holding master’s degrees and professional qualifications.
They further stated that workers have not received salary increments for more than a decade, while casual employees have gone over 36 months without allowances, with some earning as little as GH¢350 monthly.
In a direct appeal to President Mahama, the workers warned that the prolonged crisis is having devastating consequences on their lives.
“Staff are dying from an inability to afford hospital bills; we cannot pay our wards’ school fees, and feeding our families has become next to impossible,” they said.
The workers urged the government to move beyond promises and take concrete steps to rescue the company and protect existing jobs.
“You promised to create jobs; please do not collapse an existing one,” the union appealed
