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About 500 laid off workers of the defunct Ghana Cotton Company Limited have threatened to hit the streets on May 31, 2011 against government over its failure to pay them their ex-gratia before engaging multinationals to take over the company. They made reference to government�s pledge to pay them their ex-gratia packages on February 28, 2011 before concluding negotiations with three multinational companies such as Plexus-Amajaro, Wienco and Olam Companies Limited to take over Ghana�s cotton industry. They fumed that the negotiations went through without the government paying them their ex-gratia packages as promised. Zuanah Raphael, Northern Regional GAWU local Chairman who was Secretary to the Senior Staff Association of the defunct Ghana Cotton Company made the threat at a news conference at the weekend in Tamale. According to him, their children have dropped out of school and some marriages have broken because their living conditions have worsened. The angry looking Zuanah Raphael reiterated the need for President John Evans Atta Mills to ensure that their ex-gratia packages are duly paid them before May 31, 2011. �We are faced with so much hardship and frustrations that if President Mills does not act swiftly we will have no option than to hit the street any time soon against the fact that government is toying with our lifestyles� he cautioned. He bemoaned that some of them who were in leadership positions and were very instrumental in series demonstrations against poor working conditions had their applications turned down by the multinationals upon taken over Ghana Cotton Company Limited.