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28.01.2018 Social News

Railway Workers Unhappy With GRDA Landed Property

By GNA
Railway Workers Unhappy With GRDA Landed Property
28.01.2018 LISTEN

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Ghana Railway Workers Union (GRWU) has demonstrated their dissatisfaction on the haphazard manner in which the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) was leasing lands and offices to individuals.

The move, the NEC described as one that did not promote investor confidence in the government's attempts to revamp the railway sector.

Mr Godwill Ntarmah, the General Secretary of the GRWU, and the National Chairman, Joseph King Edu, presenting a two-paged resolution to the Minister for Railway Development, called for urgent steps to forestall the huge encroachment.

Portions of the resolution read: 'We resolve that there should be an immediate ban on all forms of leases of Railway lands and all leases of railway lands and offices already made in recent times should be reviewed.

'We also demand the immediate return of all GRC staff on secondment to the GRDA back to GRCL.'

The NEC also called for a review of the Railway Act, Act 779 of 2008 which vested all assets hitherto in the GRCL to GRDA.

Mr Ntarmah told the meeting that one major challenge facing the GRCL was that of assets, recalling that the union had on a number of times raised the matter with authorities, adding that suggestions for a second look at the Act, had failed.

'We have every conviction that an action will be taken on our resolution so as to restore confidence in the sector otherwise, if no action is taken after this resolution, the Union will have no choice than to remind the powers that be of our struggle for independence for this great country.'

He also called on the Ministry of Railways Development and the government to double its efforts to fully start the revamping of the Western Rail Line which had the potential to change the economic fortunes of the country, especially on employment.

The General Secretary of GRWU reminded the workers on the need to work hard to revamp the sector and restore hope to them adding, work has started in earnest on the line between Kojokrom and Tarkwa, to reshape the narrow guage line, adding that efforts to improve passenger train services from Takoradi to Tarkwa was yielding results whilst workers were ready to resume passenger services in Accra.

He appealed to the Ministry to avail the raw materials needed to reshape the lines for the services, 'All these arrangements are only to ensure our sustenance using the existing railway lines with its attendant challenges'.

We wish to inform the Minister that we are in a hurry to run the passenger trains to Kumasi and beyond. We are also in a hurry to run trains to Awaso to haul bauxite ore and other commodities.

"Railway workers are capable and eager to prove our worth in the railway sector.' he added.

He thanked the Ministry for the 35 percent salary increase for workers in July, 2017, the regular payment of salaries, procurement of slippers for the tracks, procurement of ballast for maintenance of tracks and securing contract for the rehabilitation of the Railway Training School.

The Minister of Railways Development, Mr Joe Ghartey, who received the resolution encouraged the workers to continue to chart a peaceful course with government in resolving their challenges.

He said government was making frantic efforts at separating the two entities to ensure effective assets and regulatory works, all these would be done in the utmost interest of Ghana and any individual, 'comrades, let stay together and let the railway sector work again for the future of our country'.

GNA
By Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA

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