A nationwide strike action by commercial drivers operating under the umbrella of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) which began yesterday was suspended shortly after midday following an order to that effect by their leadership.
News about the suspension of the strike action was a relieving intervention which DAILY GUIDE followed.
According to a statement by the GPRTU, an invitation from the Presidency to the leadership of the union for a discussion on the subject was one of the reasons they called off the strike.
The GPRTU statement signed by Godfred Abulbire, General Secretary of the union read, “The intended strike action which was scheduled to take effect today, Monday December 6, 2021, has been suspended. The Leadership of the Union had been invited to the Presidency during the course of the day. Development will be communicated to members.
“We therefore entreat our cherished members to go back to their normal duties.”
Attacks
In the course of the action, commercial drivers popularly called ‘Floating Drivers’, who do not operate under the GPRTU umbrella, were harassed by their colleagues for defying the order not to operate.
At Abeka in Accra, matters got to a head when pro-strike action drivers descended on their colleagues with sticks and even threatening to damage their vehicles.
Police deployments were ordered to areas where clashes and other forms of lawlessness were unfolding.
Other incidents recorded in some parts of Accra were the deliberate blocking of roads by protesting GPRTU members.
In yet other incidents, passengers were ordered to disembark the vehicles on which they were commuting by pro-strike elements.
At Mallam Junction and Lapaz, passengers from Kasoa and other areas were disembarked by the GPRTU elements and it took the intervention of the police to restore calm.
A commuter told DAILY GUIDE how police vehicles assisted stranded passengers in Accra Central, a gesture which won admiration for the law enforcement personnel.
Effect
The effect of the strike action as it lasted spelt pain for commuters as most of them stood helpless at various bus stops for vehicles which were not forthcoming.
While some commuters as a result were unable to turn up at their various workplaces, others considered alternatives such as commercial motorbikes otherwise called Okada.
Prices for commercial ride hailing services like Uber, Bolt, Yango, Ehyen and others, skyrocketed.
Fuel Cost
The protesting drivers want government to consider a downward review of fuel in the country.
The past few months have witnessed a hike in the cost of fuel globally, a situation which has not left out even the developed countries.
Fuel prices currently range between GH¢6.60 per litre and GH¢6.90 per litre but there is indication that it could be adjusted downward.
The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare reportedly played a crucial role in bringing the situation under control, so was the police and other security agencies who managed to restore calm.
Kumasi Situation
In the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, commercial vehicles were working normally and had vowed not to follow the strike action.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Somalia Yaw Boakye, said their leadership had met with the Chief of Staff on the intended strike as a result of which they have asked all their members to go on with their usual activities.
“We have suspended the strike. This is because the Chief of Staff, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare engaged our leadership in Accra indicating that the government wanted to meet us. We then decided to give them a listening ear.”
Reports from the Northern Region have it that the strike action held until the announced suspension.
By A.R. Gomda