The Public Utilities Workers Union says government would have itself to blame if the country misses out on the Millenium Challenge Compact 2 funds, due to the current impasse over the privatization of the Electricity Company of Ghana.
PUWU has dragged the state to court. In a writ filed at the Accra High Court on October 3, 2017, it argued the decision to hand over the nation’s power distributor to a concessionaire will affect its members, for which reason a severance package needed to be paid them.
In tandem with the privatization agreement, ECG workers will be transferred to the concessionaire referred as 'grandfather' with the same entitlement as pertained previously in the ECG engagement agreement.
PUWU suggest its members need to be given a redundancy package because of the high possibility of a cutback exercise.
The Union headed to court after government dismissed their demands. Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko argued the workers are not going to be laid off, but only transferred to the new company. He said the payment of a severance package will not compel the new company to take on the workers as PUWU wants since any such payment would mean their engagement with ECG is terminated.
Experts have warned that Ghana could lose out on the second tranche of the Millenium Challenge Compact funds estimated at $500million if the situation is not resolved in time.
Some have pointed accusing fingers at the Public Utilities Workers Union saying their demands are unreasonable and that they have acted selfishly.
Speaking on an Accra based radio station, Deputy General Secretary of PUWU Richard Nyaaba insisted the Union has been fair in its dealings. Its rather government which has failed to invite them to the negotiation table on their demands, “ We have not heard anything from government since we filed the case, when government calls on us that we should come back to the negotiation table and they are ready to dialogue with us on all the issues, we can ask our lawyers to hold on†he said.
He rejected accusations PUWU is being selfish by holding on to their demands, especially when it has the potential to prevent Ghana from accessing the funds, maintaining the Union has never opposed the compact “we are only against the concession… but we have an interest too because our members welfare is at stakeâ€. He contended the government has rather been the selfish entity, ignoring the genuine concerns of staff of ECG
Mr Nyaaba is urging government to give PUWU the opportunity to come to the negotiation and dialogue in order to speedily resolve the situation.