ECG concession: Ensure no worker loses job – Akufo-Addo tells Ministers

President Akufo-Addo has charged his Ministers of Employment and Energy, to make the necessary moves in ensuring that no worker of ECG is laid off under the ECG concessionary agreement.

The President said the interest of the workers ought to be protected in the agreement, hence his directive.

The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah told Accra-based Citi FM that the President is bent on ensuring that workers of the state-power distributor are not shortchanged in the deal.

“He will want to assure labour that no worker is going to lose his or her position because of the concession and that he was ready to guarantee all workers of ECG a smooth transfer or a continuation of their service, even into the concession. Today he has re-affirmed that particular position, and has asked that he’s willing to sit down with labour to give them every assurance that they want. He’s tasked me and my colleague at Ministry of Energy, to work hand in hand with the local Union and their mother union-PUWU to make sure that at least we resolve all the issues…” Meanwhile, an Accra High Court last month dismissed an injunction application filed by some aggrieved workers of the Electricity of Ghana (ECG) seeking to put on hold implementation of the agreement that will lead to private sector participation in the management of the company.

The workers dragged the government to the court, insisting they should be paid redundancy package because the implementation of the Millennium Challenge Compact does not guarantee them their jobs in future.

The Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) also joined the suit, which they asked, among other things, for a declaration that the decision by the Minister of Energy to conduct redundancy negotiations with individual employees of the ECG, including the plaintiffs, is illegal and constitutes a gross violation of Section 65 of the Labour Act.

But Justice Laurenda Owusu dismissed the application and concurred with the Attorney General that the government will suffer serious hardship if the ongoing implementation is halted.