Court orders compensation for sacked Movenpick Hotel employee

- A dismissed employee of the Movenpick Hotel, Kwame Akuoko Sarpong, is to be compensated by the hotel

- This was after the case was determined at the Labour Division of an Accra High Court

- He was sacked on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 for allegedly stealing three sachets of Milo

Kwame Akuoko Sarpong, a dismissed employee of the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra should be compensated by the hotel, an Accra High Court has ordered.

Graphic.com.gh reported that Sarpong, who was a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) operator and security officer, was relieved of his duties for allegedly stealing three sachets of Milo.

The Labour Division of the court, presided over by Justice Gifty Dekyem, declared as unlawful, his dismissal by the management of the hotel on Wednesday, February 10, 2016.

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According to the court, the evidence before it showed that the alleged theft levelled against Sarpong was never proven, and yet he was dismissed.

The judgment of the court was the culmination of a suit filed by Sarpong in October 2016, in which he sought damages for his unlawful dismissal.

Apart from the order for Movenpick Hotel to pay Sarpong his two years’ salary, the court also ordered the hotel to pay him GH¢5,030.50, which it deducted from his salary on another allegation that he used the hotel’s telephone to make personal calls.

According to the court, the deductions were unjustifiable and without any basis, and also awarded cost of GH¢5,000 in his favour.

Per Sarpong’s testimony during the case, he was employed by Movenpick Hotel on June 3, 2011 as a CCTV operator, and was later made a security man on December 16, 2014.

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On January 22, 2016, he was at post as a security man when a guest lodging at the hotel approached him for water.

He therefore went to check the lobby for a beverage attendant to serve the guest, but there was no one.

On his way back, he met one Andromeda Ofoli Quaye, another security officer of Movenpick and passed by her.

A few minutes later, he was approached by Noah Ayitey, the Head of Security, who said Quaye had reported that he Sarpong had stolen three sachets of Milo from the lobby storeroom.

Sarpong denied the allegation and was subjected to a search and according to him no sachet of Milo was found on him.

He told the court that he was queried and he responded by denying the allegation. He was later invited to appear before a disciplinary hearing on charges of stealing three sachets of Milo and was subsequently dismissed.

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It was Sarpong’s contention that in spite of the fact that Movenpick has many CCTV cameras, the hotel did not show footage of the alleged stealing during the disciplinary committee hearing.

He averred that the alleged theft was never true, was not proven, and, therefore, there was no basis for his dismissal.

In its defence, Movenpick Hotel insisted that Mr Sarpong indeed stole the three sachets of Milo and that during a search on him the three sachets of Milo fell from his jacket.

It called Quaye, Ayitey and Anna-Pearl Nkansah, the Human Resource Manager of the hotel, as witnesses to prove its case.

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Source: YEN.com.gh