GPHA workers protest MPS contract, want deal reviewed

Some workers of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, GPHA, on Friday, April 26 embarked on a peaceful protest to force the government to review the Meridian Port Services (MPS) contract in the Port expansion project.

Ghana government signed a 35-year contract with MPS in 2015 which allows MPS to effectively takeover activities at the Tema port.

But Samuel Arhin, who is a representative of workers on the GPHA board in a Citi News interview said, the contract if not reviewed will lead to massive job losses at the Port.

“When the new government came, they took a giant step by forming an inter-ministerial committee. They went through the concession agreement and came through with a report that the concession agreement was not in good faith in Ghana, and so they should take steps to correct it. So we thought something was going to be done so we have to give respect to them.”

“We waited for them and today, nothing has been done about it. What we thought has to be done is still hanging. Per their programme, I know they will roll it out by the end of the month. We don’t want the MPS to kick start their programme before anything is done on the concession agreement. We want something to be done before they start,” he added.

 

TUC demands review of contract

The Trades Union Congress had earlier appealed to President Nana Akufo-Addo to intervene, as a matter of urgency, to ensure that the contract is reviewed.

The TUC estimates that the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) alone may sack about 1,400 workers in 2019 as a result of MPS project and thus demanded the government’s intervention.

It said aside massive job losses, GPHA will surely lose millions of US dollars in revenue, in addition to over US$800 million granted to MPS in tax concessions if the contract is not reviewed and MPS commences operation in the new terminal in June 2019.

According to the TUC, the contract was awarded to MPS without going through a competitive bidding process.

It also stressed that when the new terminal commences operations in June 2019, with the monopolistic rights of MPS, GPHA and other operators in the Tema Port, such as terminal operators, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), Stevedoring companies and shore-handling companies, would lose huge revenues, which may lead to the collapse of many container-related businesses.

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Credit: Citinewsroom

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