80 to 90% of the people you saw wearing red protesting were not VALCO workers — Union Chairman

Conflicting views have emerged among employees of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) following a protest against the alleged sale of the state-owned smelter, with union leaders and management staff disagreeing over the legitimacy of the demonstration and the company's future.

Chairman of the VALCO Local Union, Samuel Agyemang, dismissed suggestions that the protest lacked the support of employees, insisting that the demonstration was organised by the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (ICU)-Ghana together with other local unions representing workers.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, July 27, he explained that the protest was carefully coordinated with management to ensure that essential operations at the plant continued uninterrupted, with some workers remaining on duty while others participated in the demonstration.

Mr. Agyemang further alleged that certain managers attempted to discourage workers from joining the protest, claiming that some employees were threatened with dismissal if they took part in the action.

However, Senior Metallurgist Samuel Andoh challenged those assertions, maintaining that the demonstration did not reflect the views of the majority of VALCO employees. According to him, many of those who participated were not workers of the company.

“I can tell you on authority that about 80 to 90% of the people you saw wearing red were not VALCO workers. Because what are you demonstrating against? All the things that he is saying, trust me, VALCO is not in good shape. Everything that he is saying about the company's challenges are true,” he said.

Mr. Andoh acknowledged that VALCO is grappling with serious operational difficulties, explaining that the ageing plant has suffered a significant decline in production capacity as the number of functioning smelting cells has steadily reduced over the years.

He argued that restoring the company to full operational capacity would require substantial capital investment, adding that successive governments have explored strategic investor partnerships as part of efforts to revive the aluminium smelter.

The differing views come in the wake of a protest led by ICU-Ghana, which opposed what it described as attempts to privatise VALCO. The union has argued that any sale of the company could jeopardise jobs and undermine Ghana's control over a strategic national asset.

Meanwhile, the Professional and Management Staff Union (PMSU) of VALCO has also weighed into the debate, stating that the company requires more than $700 million in investment to restore full operations. The union rejected claims that an investment of $60 million would be sufficient to rehabilitate the ageing facility and return it to efficient production.