Ghana: GRIDCo Workers Suspend Sit-Down Strike But…

Energynewsafrica.com can report that the striking workers of Ghana’s power transmission company, GRIDCo,  have suspended their sit-down industrial action.

The information was contained in a joint press statement signed by the management and staff of GRIDCo after a joint standing committee meeting in Tema, Ghana’s industrial city, Thursday, December 12.

Three decisions that were agreed on by the two bodies were that the intended strike action had been called off, management is committed to closer and regular engagements with the staff groups and stakeholders with the view to resolving all outstanding issues and regular work including other services to proceed as normal.

On Wednesday, December 11, a meeting between management of GRIDCo and workers ended inconclusively after the management of GRIDCo had agreed to sit at a table with the striking workers to resolve their concerns for them to return to work.

According to energynewsafrica.com’s sources, the meeting was adjourned to Thursday, December 12, 2019, because both management and workers failed to reach a consensus.

Workers of GRIDCo in the West African state hinted of embarking on a sit down strike action on 1st May, 2019, when they marched at the Black Star Square during the workers’ day celebration.

The workers had been agitating over the inability of the ECG, VALCO and NEDCo to pay their over GHc1.2 billion indebtedness, which they claimed, had crippled their operations.

The workers announced a series of industrial action last month and served notice to embark on a sit down strike by December 10, 2019, should the three companies fail to settle their debts.

This action, the workers carried out on Tuesday to press home their demands.

However, the joint press statement, which energynewsafrica.com has a copy , assures the general public the GRIDCo workers are committed to delivering on their mandate of transmitting reliable and uninterrupted power supply to them.

“Management is committed to closer and regular engagements with the staff groups and stakeholders with the view to resolve all outstanding issues.

“GRIDCo wants to assure the general public and its cherished customers that it is committed to delivering on its mandate of transmitting reliable and uninterrupted power supply,” the statement assured.

In an interview with energynewsafrica.com Raphael Kornor, Chairman of Senior Staff Association,  he said their decision to call of the strike was based on assurances management gave including showing them a letter ECG had written to the company indicating their commitment to pay their debts.

He, however, said on the issue of emergency services workers would still treat them as normal and would not attend to them outside working hours.

“The suspension was as a result of some conditions we wanted to fulfill in the labour law,” he said.

He justified the action of the workers saying “if we sit down and the company collapses we will be people who will suffer directly.”