Former State Hotels Corporation Workers Demand Unpaid Severance Benefits After 2012 Court Ruling

• Former employees of the defunct State Hotels Corporation petitioned the Presidency and Ministry of Finance on October 27, 2026, over unpaid end-of-service benefits
• The group says a court ruled in their favour in November 2012, yet more than a decade later, the compensation covering about 1,200 beneficiaries remains unpaid
• Consultant Nani Welbeck warned that some former workers have died waiting, while others can no longer afford medicament bills

Decades of waiting have taken a severe toll on former employees of the now-defunct State Hotels Corporation, who are once again pressing the government to honour what they say is a long-overdue legal obligation.

The group formally petitioned the Presidency and the Ministry of Finance on 27 October 2026, urging the immediate release of severance benefits that a court reportedly awarded them back in November 2012.

The former workers say the initial claims covered roughly 1,200 beneficiaries, yet years of administrative back-and-forth have kept the money out of their hands.

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Their grievances trace back to the government's divestiture of state-owned hotels between 1990 and 1999.

Properties that changed hands during that period included the former Ambassador Hotel, which is now the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel, and the Continental Hotel, currently trading as Lancaster Hotel, among others.

Consultant for the former employees, Nani Welbeck, painted a distressing picture of the group's current situation.

"Some of our people are battling illnesses and can no longer afford medicament and hospital bills, while others have died without receiving their benefits," he said.

Among those most affected is Jomo Yakubu, identified by the group as the individual who spearheaded the original legal action. Yakubu is reportedly living with a terminal illness and says the outstanding compensation is urgently needed to cover his medicament costs.

The former workers acknowledge that their payment documents have moved through multiple processing stages at the Ministry of Finance, but insist that no disbursement has followed.

Ministry acknowledges the concerns

Cynthia Arthur, the Ministry of Finance's Director of Human Capital Administration, has acknowledged the grievances raised by the former employees and offered assurances that the matter would receive attention.

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The group, however, is not prepared to wait indefinitely. They have warned that further action may follow if the government does not move swiftly to settle the outstanding benefits, signalling that this latest petition may not be their last.

La Beach management committee sues 3 hotels

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the management committee of La Pleasure Beach took legal action against two hotel companies and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), challenging what it describes as an unlawful dawn demolition of its offices and licensed structures at the popular Accra beachfront.

Stanley Anyetei Nunoo, who identifies himself as Chairman of the Management Committee of La Pleasure Beach, filed a writ of summons at the High Court in Accra against Hotel Investments (Ghana) Limited, La Palm Beach Hotel Limited and SSNIT.

According to the statement of claim, security personnel from the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces arrived at La Pleasure Beach on or about October 2, 2026, in the early hours, and proceeded to demolish the committee's management office alongside other licensed structures on the premises.

Source: YEN.com.gh