Ghana: Two TOR Union Executives Interdicted Over TOR-Torentco Deal Reinstated

The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Ghana’s premier refinery, has reinstated two executives of the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) who were interdicted for disclosing information about the controversial TOR-Torentco deal to the media.

Anthony Koomson resumed work last week while Serwaa Duncan-Williams is yet to resume work, according to energynewsafrica.com’s sources.

This follows a directive by the Energy Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh in a letter dated March 4, 2024, and addressed to the Managing Director Daniel Osei Appiah.

“I am by this letter directing Tema Oil Refinery management to recall the affected union workers to work immediately with no loss of entitlements.

“Any further investigation and actions must be conducted with due process to ensure fairness to all,” a portion of the letter sighted by energynewsafrica.com reads.

It would be recalled that Serwaa Duncan and Anthony Koomson were interdicted by the TOR Board at their 261st sitting on December 13, 2023.

The two executives were issued query letters for allegedly speaking to the media about the Tema Oil Refinery and Torentco Asset Management Limited partnership deal and making some comments that sought to bring the reputation of the refinery into disrepute in October 2023.

The union executives, in response to the queries, denied the claims by the Board.

The national leadership of GTPCWU held a press conference and demanded the reinstatement of the union executives.

The Union threatened a national protest to get the union executives back to work.

The threat caught the attention of the Minister for Energy and invited the aggrieved persons and the Management of TOR to a meeting to resolve the issue.

In a statement issued by the National Chairman of General Transport Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) Bernard Owusu, and Iddrisu Fuseini, General Secretary, the union commended the Minister for Energy for his intervention in getting the union executives back to work.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com