Haulage truck drivers who ply the Ghana-Burkina Faso route, demonstrated at the Tema Port against what they deemed unfair treatment meted out to them when their journey to Burkina Faso.
The drivers claim they are charged illegal fees called “Bond de Chargement” by the driver union in that country.
According to them, the ‘Bond de Chargement’ has been imposed on them at the Burkinabe border and failure to pay usually results in them being assaulted and their vehicles sometimes damaged.
Last week, the Chairman of the Joint Association of Port Transport Union, Husein Isahak, appealed to the authorities to come to their aid.
[contextly_sidebar id=”M7rRWnn3w5FgYAqZAznrf4A4EH0JkW1j”]He revealed the union has been making their demands known via numerous letters to the port authority since last year, but are yet to receive a response from the port directors and other authorities.
Mr. Husein Isahak added that if authorities fail to come to their aid, the union will be forced to retaliate, a threat they have followed through with this demonstration cum strike action.
The Vice Chairman of the Joint Association of Port Transport Union, Abdulla Baba, reiterated the reasons for the demonstration and said the ‘Bond de Chargement’ was instituted without their knowledge.
He said, “We are demonstrating because there is a so called ‘Bond de Chargement’ which was implemented last year April by the Ghana Director of Ports without telling us anything.”
Mr. Abdulla Baba stated that they had made their demands known peacefully but the authorities refused to comply with them hence the need for them to demonstrate.
“Since last year, we were on them but they refused to listen to us. That is the reason we are sending a strong signal to them. They should withdraw the bond with immediate effect,” he added.
Mr. Abdulla Baba warned that the drivers will not be plying the Burkina Faso route with cargo until their demand to have the ‘Bond de Chargement’ removed is met.
“We will advise ourselves. The whole country, we’ll be at a standstill. No Ghanaian truck will be in operation till the ‘Bond de Chargement’ is withdrawn; so we are advising our drivers not to move to Burkina Faso.”
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifemonline.com/Ghana