This follows concerns raised in court by lawyers for PUWU, over the ongoing bidding processes despite an interlocutory injunction application before the court, praying the court to halt the process.

[contextly_sidebar id=”HlwSxIxTKDEGFS82mNJVQABuP0t3KCGs”]The plaintiffs, who are members of the Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU), filed the suit demanding, among other things, an injunction to halt the Compact between Ghana and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

The Judge, Justice Lorrenda Owusu, after hearing the concerns of the applicants, advised the government to take note of the effects of their actions with the interlocutory injunction application still pending.

PUWU sued the government over moves to hand over the operations of the company to a concessionaire without any redundancy package for them.

In their suit, they are seeking a perpetual injunction to restrain the defendants, their assigns and privies from continuing with the Compact Agreement between the government of Ghana and the MCC.

The compact was signed in August 2014, geared towards the reform of the electricity distribution sector of Ghana, by among other issues, appointing a concessionaire to take over the distribution of electricity from the ECG and related agreements.

The Ghana Power Compact will provide Ghana with a grant of US$498,200,000 to improve the performance of the power sector.

Severance concerns

The ECG workers prayed the court, to among others, declare the decision by the Minister of Energy to conduct redundancy negotiations with individual employees of the ECG illegal, and a gross violation of Section 65 of the Labour Act, 2005 (Act 651).

They contended that, discussions that went into negotiations for the sale of ECG, did not factor the declaration of redundancy, despite the content of Section 65 of the Labour Act.

This section indicates that, where “an arrangement or amalgamation causes severance of the legal relationship of a worker and employer as it existed immediately before the close down, arrangement or amalgamation; and as a result of and in addition to the severance that worker becomes unemployed or suffers any diminution in the terms and conditions of employment, the worker is entitled to be paid by the undertaking at which that worker was immediately employed prior to the close down, arrangement or amalgamation, compensation, in this section referred to as redundancy pay.”

The court adjourned the case to October 19, to allow defendants file their affidavits in opposition, and for the interlocutory injunction application to be moved on the said date.

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By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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PUWU has sued ECG, the Attorney-General and the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), over the dispute on the need for the payment of redundancy package to ECG workers.

[contextly_sidebar id=”EQYTjKmujcU5OatWUM5UTdXKJNfps3WR”]PUWU had started agitations in this regard in September, due to fears that workers will lose their jobs following the Power Compact signed with the United States of America under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Power Compact II programme.

The lawsuit has one other plaintiff, one Benedict Kanose, an employee of the ECG.

PUWU in a writ filed at the Accra High Court argued that the decision to cede ECG to a concessionaire constituted a severance of the ECG workers’ employment.

It contended that discussions that went into negotiations for the sale of ECG did not factor the declaration of redundancy, despite the content of Section 65 of the Labour Act, 2005 (Act 651).

The section indicates that, where “an arrangement or amalgamation causes severance of the legal relationship of a worker and employer as it existed immediately before the close down, arrangement or amalgamation; and as a result of and in addition to the severance that worker becomes unemployed or suffers any diminution in the terms and conditions of employment, the worker is entitled to be paid by the undertaking at which that worker was immediately employed prior to the close down, arrangement or amalgamation, compensation, in this section referred to as redundancy pay.”

Thus PUWU is seeking a declaration that “the purported ‘grandfathering, ie, sending workers of ECG including plaintiffs [PUWU members] on permanent transfer without paying a redundancy pay of the 1^st defendant’s [Benedict Kanose] employees including plaintiffs which the minister [Boakye Agyarko] declared to be the government’s approach… will sever the employment relationship between plaintiffs and ECG,” the writ said

They are also seeking an order directed at the defendants to “comply with the provisions of Act 651, and go through the proper redundancy process as laid down in Ghana’s laws and pay plaintiffs redundancy pay (severance package) in accordance with the stipulation of the law.”

They also want an injunction to halt the Compact between Ghana and the MCC.

The Ghana Power Compact will provide Ghana with a grant of US$498,200,000 to improve the performance of the power sector.

About US$350 million of the grant is being invested in ECG to make the country’s power distributor operationally and financially more efficient.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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MiDA, is one of the defendants in a lawsuit filed by a member of the opposition New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) communications team, Saaka Salia, that is challenging its [MiDA’s] competence to serve as an advisor in the concession arrangement for the ECG.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Lo51FqZNouZ29ErAkavMJWn0tiyfO9o6″]A letter written by Mr Saaka Salia and sighted by citifmonline.com cautioned MiDA to cancel the planned event to avoid being in contempt of court.

The letter said “This is in blatant contempt of court as an injunction is pending in court against defendants from proceeding with or in any way whatsoever dealing with or participating in any processes touching and concerning further activities or dealings with the ongoing PSP in ECG processes in proposed Concession for the Management of, Operation of, and Investments in the Electricity Distribution Business of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited, until the case has been determined.”

“Please be guided that recently the Electoral Commission suspended receiving nomination fees for the 2016 elections when it was served with similar processes. It only called for those fees after the court had heard the application and dismissed it,” he letter added.

Read the full letter below:

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Dear Sir,

RE: CAUTION

It has come to my notice, rather shockingly, that you, a defendant in the case I filed impugning the ECG PSP, have slated a bidder’s conference for Monday 31st October here in Accra.

This is in blatant contempt of court as an injunction is pending in court against defendants from proceeding with or in any way whatsoever dealing with or participating in any processes touching and concerning further activities or dealings with the ongoing PSP in ECG processes in proposed Concession for the Management of, Operation of, and Investments in the Electricity Distribution Business of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited, until the case has been determined.

All four Defendants have been served with the injunction application filed earlier this month and a first court attendance slated for Wednesday 2nd November 2016.

Please be guided that recently the Electoral Commission suspended receiving nomination fees for the 2016 elections when it was served with similar processes. It only called for those fees after the court had heard the application and dismissed it.

You are cautioned against this act in trying to overreach the courts of Ghana and treat them with disregard as you did and the Energy Commission accused you of forging its logo, and the PURC also accused you of usurping its mandate in the PSP process.

Be reminded that the courts attention shall be duly drawn to this contemptuous act and all those participating cited for contempt.

Saaka Salia

Plaintiff

CC:

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL – 1ST DEFENDANT

PUBLIC UTILITIES REGULATORY COMMISSION -3RD DEFENDANT

ENERGY COMMISSION – 4TH DEFENDANT

THE REGISTRAR – HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE, GJ, ACCRA

Background

Mr Saaka Salia in September 2016 sued the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) over the planned concession of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), arguing that MiDA is not fit to participate in concession arrangement for the ECG as an adviser.

Accordin to him, MIDA is not fit to participate in concession because its conduct breached Ghana’s laws after it authored and circulated a draft tariff methodology.

In an interview with Citi News, Mr Salia said “the reason for the breach is that, MiDA as well as the IFC [International Finance Corporation] collaborated and forged a document purported to be coming from the PURC, and the Energy Commission and to that extent, they allowed that fraudulent document to fill the part of the transaction process.”
Suit against ECG concession ‘baseless’ -MiDA

Meanwhile, the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) has described a suit filed against the Power Compact II which seeks to privatize part of the Electricity Company of Ghana as lacking merit.

In an interview with Citi News, the Chief Executive Officer of MiDA, Ing. Owura Sarfo said MiDA sees the suit as incompetent.

“We have been served a copy of the suit. I will not go into the merits of the case because the case is in court. But all I will say is that that suit is incompetent, that suit is of no merit and that suit is totally false,” he said.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post MiDA faces contempt over planned ECG bidder’s conference appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) is grappling with unusual incidents of children being rushed to the hospital for treatment after they mistakenly swallowed caustic soda and detergent.

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Source: Graphic Online

The post 50 children swallow detergent, need GH¢500,000 for surgery appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The downpour which was consistent for four days has seen some schools being cut off from their communities while in some instances parents have to carry their wards to cross flooded areas to be able to go to school.

Some teachers at one of the worst affected communities in the Ellembele District, Aiyinasi have complained about the effect of the downpour on school activities.

Speaking to Citi News, a teacher in the school said the rains had affected academic work. “Most of the students don’t come to school because when it rains, some gutters get flooded.”

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Your child walked in on you having sex! There you both are, naked, and in a position that’s very hard to explain. Plenty of experts have written about how to handle your child when that happens.

But you know what? The kid will be okay. What I’m more concerned about is how you’re supposed to resume the sex after you’ve put the little one back to bed.

Here are 6 tips for getting back into your sexual groove after your child has walked in on you.

1. Don’t give in to a downward spiral of exasperation. “Don’t let frustration get the best of you,” Myers says. You may want to start ranting, “Why can’t we EVER have a moment alone?!?” But nip that in the bud. Avoid using those big words like “never” and “ever.”

2. Divide and conquer so you can keep your mind in a sexy state. While one of you (preferably your husband) sends your child back to bed, you do whatever you need to do to stay in the mood. Keep touching yourself, pick up some porn, whatever it takes to “keep your head in the game,” as Myers puts it.

3. Don’t talk about what just happened. “Kiddie talk is usually libido-crushing,” Myers says. You can talk about why your child woke up, how you got her back to sleep, whether or not she needs therapy now (just kidding!) in the morning. But not now.

4. Have a stay-sexy mantra. Find a phrase that keeps you in the mood, like “I’m feeling so hot now” or “nothing can stop me!” Nothing can stop you, sexy mama! I’m serious, mantras help.

5. Return to the same “kind” of sex you were having. If you were having soft, romantic type sex, start by coming face to face and just breathing together, then move on to kissing. If you were having hot lava sex, find something to spark that energy: A toy, props, anything you know will bring back that heightened sense of arousal.

6. Most importantly, be present. Myers emphasizes that the most important thing is that you find a way to become present again. Set aside your feelings of embarrassment or worry for the moment and just try to reignite that connection. Remind yourself, “no matter what happens, our time together is a priority.” Put the focus back on your relationship.

Source: The Stir

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