Opposition against the privatization of the Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG) has thickened as the Public Utility Workers Union(PUWU) make fresh demands for redundancy payment before they cooperate with the exercise.
The government of Ghana entered into an agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) under the Power Compact Two to privatize the operations of the ECG.
The process has stalled for a while over PUWU’s concerns about potential job losses.
Speaking to Citi Business News, the General Secretary of PUWU, Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi stated that all attempts to get government to pay ECG workers their redundancy package has proved futile.
“Under the the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) agreement which will bring a private investor, all ECG workers will now be under a new owner, a private investor. We therefore want our severance pay before the ownership structure is changed,” he stressed after PUWU picketed at the premises of the Trades Union Congress(TUC).
He explained that the new owner will have new terms of conditions and agreement with the workers—a situation which may be different from the current employer which is the government of government.
Even though MiDA, and government have explained several times that ECG workers will have job security for five years under the compact, Mr. Adumatta Nyantakyi insists that getting the redundancy package is precautionary step ahead of the implementation of the project.
MiDA suffered a similar set back recently after the Coalition of ECG Concession Arrangement (COSECA) withdrew its support, citing lack of collaboration on the part of MiDA. However, the Chief Executive Officer of MiDA Ingineer Owura Safo insists all parties including PUWU have been consulted.
Despite the agitation from PUWU, Citi Business News has gathered that the second bidders conference will come off next week. So what will be the next move of PUWU. Here is Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi again.
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By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana