The Ministry of Power, the Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) and the Millennium Development Authority (MIDA), have agreed to outline a roadmap to address concerns raised by PUWU in connection to the privatization of the Electricity Company of Ghana.
Workers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) who are members of PUWU last week demonstrated against a concessionary agreement which will cede the management of the company to a private entity.
They demanded the review of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) which seeks to privatize part of ECG.
[contextly_sidebar id=”zJGaNoxmmu3zlvODEFPMlxLGQY0y1K8I”]In a Citi News interview, the Deputy Minister of Power John Jinapor was hopeful that the regular consultations will address the concerns of the workers to avert any further troubles.
“What we identified is that we have to deepen the engagement and the communication between MIDA and the staff and union of ECG. We think that there is more room for improvement and we can engage further. From my understanding, some of the issues can be settled and that we only need to do explanation and clarification.”
“So the Minister has tasked us to draw a timetable or roadmap so that MIDA and ECG would iron out whatever outstanding issues they have,” he added.
‘ECG privatization’ won’t lead to lay-offs
Meanwhile, MiDA has downplayed assertions by PUWU that the MCC compact will impact negatively on ECG and result in lay-offs.
MiDA in a statement, responding to PUWU’s reservations for the first time, assured that “the government of Ghana has gone to great extents to ensure that the jobs of all ECG workers are duly protected for a period of 5 years. It is therefore regrettable that PUWU continues to allege that there will be job losses.”
“The reality is that, the concession arrangement will create more jobs in the power sector,” MiDA noted.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin