The General Secretary of the Union, Alhaji Fuseini Iddrisu, has revealed that in spite of governments assurance of making payment of outstanding salaries, they are yet to receive any monies to that effect.
“As a well-disciplined trades union, we are not interested in allowing our members to take an action that seems to be illegal. We have talked to the Senior Minister, Transport Minister and all indications are that, some monies were made available for them to pay at least the two and a half months salary arrears”.
Workers of state transport company, Metro Mass Transit Ltd., are still agitating over unpaid salary arrears due them. Thins comes in wake of just a couple of weeks after calling off a few days of sit-down strike after government’s assurance of payment.
The General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union of the Trades Union Congress, which impressed upon the staff to resume work whiles they negotiate the payment, in a statement expressed its frustration over the letdown of government to fulfill its promise.
“Based on these factors, we told our people last week to come back to work. But we had a meeting with the sub-committees of the board of Metro Mass, and it looks as if all those promises given to us are not very clear because they are now telling us that they have many problems especially, with the Ministry of Finance about lock-down issues”.
Alhaji Fuseini Iddrisu
In addition to the demand of their unpaid salaries, the Union has also requested government to contract Neoplan Ghana to restore 200 MMT buses currently grounded.
Also, they desire of government to give their approval on fuel tax exemptions for the company and also augment its operation with a GHS50 million as a stimulus package to cater for employee salaries.
Issuing a caveat, the General Secretary of the Union hinted of another sit-down if workers are not paid their outstanding salaries soon enough.
“There is pressure on our members. This morning we had to appeal to them to still keep on working as we are still deliberating with our leaders. Let me assure you that, if nothing immediately happens, we will lose control of our members and we can anticipate that the workers will now go on fully with their actions. They will sit down and not work”.
Background
On July 3, agitated workers of state transport, Metro Mass Transit Limited, MMTL, said their sit-down strike will continue unless their two months’ salary arrears hit their accounts. According to them, life has been unbearable in the last two months.
In an interview, the Chairman of the Junior Staff Union of MMTL, Samuel Kwesi Quaye, said the situation is taking a toll on some employees who have resorted to sleeping in some buses on the company’s premises because they cannot afford transport fares back home.
“This issue is all about workers who have not been paid for two months. In the month of April, workers were asked to take half salary. We are still having issues with management as to how to get the other half. We even thought government will give us some intervention in May and June. But we didn’t get it and the salary has been in arrears for two months. We have entered July, the third month. Now we are handicapped. We don’t even have money to even board ‘trotro’ to work and back home as well as food”.
