The Public Relations Officer of the Concerned Drivers Association, David Agboado has revealed that, members of the Association are going to embark on a sit-down strike if monies wrongfully taken from them are not refunded.
He said an amount of 108 Ghana cedis was taken from 2,500 members of his association as price for a first aid box they were forced to purchase, in order to renew their licenses at the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority. As part of a new government policy, a policy he said, his members and himself had no knowledge of. He recall the incident which took place on the first and second of January 2018.
He further mentioned that, upon hearing the relatively higher price the first aid box the members of his association and other drivers were made to buy at the DVLA offices, an alarm was raised and the purchase was decentralized. So drivers were allowed to buy the box from elsewhere which he said costed between 10 to 21 Ghana cedis at the time.
“On first and second January 2018, when you go to license your car, you are forced to buy a first aid box or a first aid kit. The highest price for it on the market was 21cedis, when you go to Abosseyokai and the lowest price was 10cedis. But when you go to DVLA, they will forcefully sell it to you at 108cedis”
“After we raised the alarm, Mr. Davis of the DVLA came out the next day to admit that, it was wrong for his outfit to have imposed the buying of the first aid box from the DVLA on us and hence has been scraped”
“As at now, we have written several letters pertaining to the monies taken from our 2,500 members but till now, nothing has been done about it.”
Mr. Agboado further mentioned, his Association gave the government a two week ultimatum during their last press conference which was held on the 29th of October 2020. But their deadline met the passing of the Former President Jerry John Rawlings. So as a sign of goodwill, it held on its plans of embarking on a sit-down strike.
He clarified that their request for a refund of their monies was officially made on July 26, 2018, when the Association wrote to the Ministry of Finance and the DVLA. Subsequently, the leaders of the Association met with the Deputy Finance Minister, Kwaku Kwarteng, who promised the Association that the monies of its affected members will be refunded. This promise Mr. Agboado said, has not seen the light of day.
However, he said, his Association remains resolute in its fight for the interest of its members and is going to make sure, by all means necessary, that the funds it members are paid them in due course.
The PRO concluded by calling on the President to step in on the matter and ensure the wrong is corrected, to avoid further friction between his Association and the DVLA.
