TOR workers accuse political mafia of running down the refinery

Workers of the Tema Oil Refinery are expressing fear the 30million dollars government has released to resume production will go waste if President Mahama does not lead a campaign to get rid of top politicians who are deliberately running down the refinery for private gains.

They allege these top officials own or have huge shares in Bulk Distribution Companies and profit from renting TOR's storage facilities for their imports.

TOR workers suspect the so-called mafia is behind ECO Petroleum, Fuel Trade, Shelico among others.

While they wait anxiously to resume production this weekend, the leadership of the workers says it will explore all avenues to protect their interest.

Joy News' Eric Ahianyo has been investigating the TOR situation and reports Daniel Fugah Chairman of the Senior Staff Workers Union and Emmanuel Eduah Offoh, head of the Local Workers Union as saying the situation is dire.

At full capacity, the Tema Oil Refinery produces 45,000 barrels per day which is about 60 percent of the current fuel demand.

Since its establishment 50years ago, it has undergone two major expansions, in 1997 when the Crude Distillation Unit, CDU increased capacity from 28,000 to 45,000 barrels per day and 2002 when the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) was built.

With the RFCC, the Refinery can meet all the LPG, Aviation Fuel and kerosene needs of the country at full capacity.

But the workers say TOR's huge debt, now estimated around 300million dollars could have been avoided if the facility had not been micro managed by politicians.

They claim the facility is being deliberately being rundown by businessmen with top political links so they can sell it to themselves.

They say they are tired of the arm twisting for cheap political gains and are gearing up for a faceoff with the so called mafia.

But the Managing Director of the Refinery Ato Ampiah has denied knowledge of any such mafia.

He said the major problem facing TOR is the continuous under recovery due to subsidies on petroleum prices.

He said with the current production levels there was the need to rely on companies to import finished products to cover up for the shortfall in production.

He is convinced with full cost recovery and proper investment the facility will operate at full capacity.