Maritime and Dockworkers Union under the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA) has expressed its readiness to escalate the industrial action at the Port of Tema from Thursday July 14.
The action involved cessation of sailing and berthing of vessels at the Port. This simply implies that no vessel is allowed to berth or sail at the port.
According to the workers, this action has been necessitated by the refusal of the Meridian Port Service (MPS), to hand over “20 percent of the containerized cargo to GPHA during the exclusivity period of ten (10) years…” as directed by Cabinet in 2019.
The union is demanding that the cabinet directive is complied with immediately with the signing of the necessary agreements to hand over 20 percent container business to GPHA.
Besides, the action is also to stop the current attempts to hand over the reefer container at the Port back to MPS.
The industrial action will enter its third day Thursday after which the union will escalate the action.
The union said it has however, picked up credible intelligence that the Government is planning to use the security agencies to disrupt the action.
“We remind government that any such security intervention will not be in the interests of the country. It will be action in support of a foreign entity (MPS) that is fleecing the country at a time when Ghana needs every revenue it justifiably can mobilized.
“The union is fully prepared for the intended interventions. We will not back down today or tomorrow until our demands are met and GPHA is in charge of the 20 percent containerized cargo at the Port of Tema,” a statement issued by the Maritime and Dockworkers Union of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said.
By Vincent Kubi