METKA Energy Company Suffers In The Hands Of Aboadze Youth

Dozens of Aboadze youth in the Shama District in the Western Region have rained curses on management of METKA Company, the fifth thermal plant under construction at the Aboadze thermal plant.

As early as 0600 hours on wednesday,the group converged at the beach near the premises of the Energy company amidst chanting, cursing and pouring of libation to the gods and their spiritual ancestors.

They contended that almost 95 per cent of workers employed by the company were not indigenes of Aboadze which contradicted the Local Content Policy.

The group told the Ghana News Agency that all efforts to channel their grievances through their leaders such as the Chief, DCE and Member of Parliament had proved futile.

Their action at the company's premises was therefore to send a signal to management to listen to their plight and absorb them in the construction work as well as other permanent jobs at the other four energy plants at the Volta River Authority(VRA) namely,T1,T2.T3 and Ameri.

They also claimed that per their social corporate responsibility, the energy companies had not assisted the town in any form of social and economic infrastructure such as potable water, roads, toilet and other facilities.

Addressing the group, management of the METKA Company appealed to them to exercise restraint and forward their grievances through their political leaders for redress.

According to management, the construction work was being done in phases in which workers were being laid off and others with the expertise hired on board.

Speaking to the GNA, the Member of Parliament(MP) for Shama, Mr Ato Panford said he was at the site on Monday ,to meet Management of METKA and Amandi to fashion out strategies to contain the situation.

He urged the Public Relations outfit of METKA to disseminate the right information to the public for the youth to be aware that workers at the construction site were being laid off and new hands employed mostly skilled personnel.

Mr Panford advised the workers at the site to be unionised to press home their demands.

On the way forward, the MP told the GNA that he would address the concerns of the youth during a community durbar in a matter of two weeks and appealed to them to be calm and exercise patience.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Aboadze Nana Attomu III ,has ordered the community fetish priest to revert the curse by the youth group.

GNA