The 8-hour nationwide strike action embarked upon by aggrieved staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) since Friday ended yesterday after the national executive council decided to meet government on Wednesday and present their concerns to it.
Executives of ECG’s Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU), national divisional officers of Junior Staff Union (JSU) and Senior Staff Union (SSU) of ECG and the regional representatives (chairmen and secretaries of regional divisional officers) of ECG met yesterday to take that decision.
The workers have raised concerns about possible job losses due to government’s decision to cede part of management of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for 25 years to a private entity, even though the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) has in a recent press statement indicated that no layoffs would take place within the first five years of the takeover by the private entity.
On Friday, September 2, a meeting scheduled between ECG officials and national executives of PUWU hit a snag.
Customers of ECG were stranded for the two days that the aggrieved workers did not work at their offices, causing so much disappointment.
Last week, the ECG staff declared a three-day nationwide demonstration against the privatization for three hours every day.
Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi, General Secretary of PUWU, who was addressing a press conference lately, said: “We are not asking the Government of Ghana to abrogate the MCC compact, but we are requesting that GOG and MCC should review the Compact.”
He stated that “Private Sector Participation (PSP) as a condition precedent and trigger for entry into force should be modified to include pragmatic steps or measures that can bring efficiency and profitability to ECG using the disciplined leadership and governance transformation method.”
Recently, the leadership of the workers met Finance Minister Seth Terkper, who is now caretaker Minister at the Power Ministry and John Jinapor, his deputy to discuss the issues.
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