Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi speaking to the media during the demonstration yesterday
The Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) says it has observed with utter dismay the complete silence of the Ministry of Energy and the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) over the request of the staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for the payment of severance package as a result of the planned Private Sector Participation (PSP) of the company.
During a demonstration yesterday in Accra, PUWU’s General Secretary, Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi, said the process towards the implementation of the compact was proceeding.
“To all intents and purposes, it is becoming apparent that the Ministry and MiDA are not giving due attention to the concerns expressed by ECG staff.”
“The ministry has not provided the appropriate forum to discuss with the union on the issues affecting the staff under the proposed PSP.
“PUWU is surprised by the lack of engagement that has been demonstrated by the present government with respect to the key labour issues and the PSP under the compact II. The national union is disappointed with the failure by government to adequately engage labour on the ECG concession.”
He said such a stance was in sharp contrast to the promises made by the President during his campaign in 2016 with respect to engaging labour on the ECG concession issues.
The General Secretary revealed that the high expectations of Labour and particularly PUWU had not been met and blamed the development on the attitude of the Energy Minister.
According to him, the National Union in June 2017 wrote to the Minister of Energy and copied MiDA among others, after a divisional executive committee meeting of the ECG senior and junior staff union to convey the request of staff for the payment of severance package as a result of the planned PSP.
“The position of workers since government has rejected the option of a joint venture with ECG and the private sector is that the intended arrangement will ultimately result in the legal termination of the employment relations that exist between the staff and ECG.”
Again, he called for the concept of ‘grandfathering’ being exhibited by the Energy Minister to be discussed in detail.
He said, “PUWU is not against the compact II in principle, but we strongly object to the option of a concession as the model of PSP for ECG. We have consistently maintained that the solutions to the challenges facing ECG are within the domain of Government.”
He added that PUWU had been engaging ECG management on the issue of severance but despite all the good intentions and cooperation, management had shown, it is clear that the latter could do nothing about the situation.”
He therefore called on the Ministry of Energy and Government to show commitment to protecting the rights of the individual workers of ECG.
By Samuel Boadi