Ghana Gas staff livid over BOST ‘takeover’

Workers of the Ghana National Gas Company are up in arms against government’s moves to allegedly hand over pipeline assets to the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST).

The local union of the General Transport, Petroleum & Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) has threatened to demonstrate against any such move.

Speaking to Citi Business News the local Chairman of the GTPCWU at Ghana Gas, Richmond Alamu said, such decisions demoralize personnel and may ultimately affect productivity in the long run.

“The government will have to take responsibility and be responsible for whatever decision it takes and communicate same to the company and the staff. We the staff will demonstrate against any such decision that is taken without proper consultation.”

He further stated “we want to be able to operate efficiently and supply gas for power production and LPG to be used in our cars and homes.”

“We also want to be able to produce more Ghana Gas companies; not a fragmented one where today someone comes and takes part of the business and hands it over to another agency,” he observed.

Richmond Alamu told Citi Business News the move will not help Ghana Gas; indicating that in their view as workers, they are performing well.

This according to him has enabled the company to make gains which must be consolidated not fragmented.

“Nobody deserves that; as we have faith in the company that we can even do better. Even though we know that maybe the workers will keep their jobs with this handover, we are looking into the future” he said.

According to the workers, the handing over of the assets is dangerous to the survival of Ghana Gas which they claim is already constrained to undertake further expansion and related developmental projects due to VRA’s indebtedness to the company.

The threats comes after reports that BOST has been mandated to take over the operations and building of pipelines of Ghana Gas including the construction of the onshore pipeline of natural gas transmission from the Aboadze power enclave in the Western Region to the West African Gas Pipeline in Tema.

By: Norvan Acquah – Hayford/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana