Workers of the Ghana Airport Company are up in arms against the government over plans to hand over management of the company to Turkish based TAV Airport Holdings.
The protest follows a leaked cabinet memo giving approval for engagement of the private company which the Aviation ministry has described as a strategic partner.
This has not gone down with the workers who have staged a demonstration to oppose the deal.
One of the workers told Africa Feeds that the said move will make many of them redundant.
“I have been working here for almost thirty years. This is what I do to feed my family. So why does President Akufo Addo want to sell the airport? How will I survive?” he said.
Another staff also told Africa Feeds that the development is a sign of mismanagement of strategic state assets, warning that this could have dire consequences for the Ghanaian economy.
Union’s intervention
General Secretary for the Public Services Workers Union of TUC Bernard Adjei asked the agitating workers to remain calm whilst they engage authorities on their concerns at a scheduled meeting.
He has also assured the workers that the union will strongly defend their interest as a result of their years of commitment to develop the Ghana Airport Company.
The workers are also demanding the removal of their Managing Director, Yaw Kwakwa and a suspension of negotiations with the private Turkish company.
Police in the area say the protest was illegal and it flouted provisions in the public order act which require the organizers to notify the police.
Aviation Minister denies alleged privatization
The protest comes a day after the Ministry of Aviation dismissed claims that the Kotoka International Airport is being sold to a foreign company.
According to the ministry, the government is only considering a proposed Strategic Partnership Arrangement between GACL and TAV-SUMMA Consortium to improve service delivery and expansion of infrastructure at the Kotoka International Airport to achieve Government’s vision of making Ghana the Aviation Hub within the West African Sub-Region.
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Source: Africafeeds.com
