GPHA Workers Goes Wild Over MPS Expansion Deal

“What we seek to achieve is alert Management and everyone who have seen this MPS concession that this a bad, fraudulent, bogus and has to be reviewed and all we seek is to have the contract reviewed with immediate effect,” he says.

“It is only when the contract is reviewed that we the workers of the company will be happy and understand that our future is guaranteed but as it stands now, nothing has been done about it so, we seriously want the contract to be reviewed and that's what we seek to do by wearing red to mean that we are mourning.”

The implementation is scheduled for July this year but aggrieved workers of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) wants the implementation of the Tema Ports Expansion concession agreement by the Meridian Port Service (MPS) halted.

Chairman of the Senior Staff Union of GPHA, John Richmond Aseeph is asking government to quickly avert the huge economic losses by reviewing the $1.5 billion contract between the government and the Meridian Port Services, operators of the main container terminal at the Tema Port.

They have further threatened to intensify their action if there was no sign of reviewing the deal within the week.

According to him, the future of workers of GPHA was uncertain because of the move to implement the agreement this year.

With current the monopolistic rights of MPS, GPHA and other operators in the Tema Port such as terminal operators, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), Stevedoring companies and shore handling companies are to lose huge revenues that may lead to the collapse of many container-related businesses.

GPHA is likely to sack about 1,400 workers to make way for the deal, thereby causing the Authority to lose millions of dollars in revenue in addition to over $800 million granted to MPS in tax concessions.

Over 3, 000 workers at the various ICDs, Stevedoring companies and shore handling companies are to also lose their jobs after the implementation of the deal.