The Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) has lambasted the Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko for ‘’peddling falsehood’’ that he has met with them on several occasions.
General Secretary Michael Adumata speaking to Kwame Tutu on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm disputed claims by the Minister that he’s engaged PUWU on several occasions. He also revealed that the Minister does not respect them as a union because if he does, he would have responded ”to our letters written to him”.
Mr. Adumata said the union has written more than three letters to the Minister without any response and from what they’ve gathered; the Minister does not care about them. ‘’We have written three letters but he has not responded to any of them.
And let me put it on record; the Minister has not held a single meeting with the labour union since he took over office. And so he would be a liar to say he has met with us. He met stakeholders which the union represented but that was not the labour union. The labour law requires that he meets with the union. We did not post the letter but presented it ourselves in his office yet he keeps saying that he has not seen any of the letters,’’ he said.
He was responding to comments by the Energy Minister on their redundancy package. PUWU on Tuesday held on Tuesday picketed at the premises of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), demanding for severance pay for ECG staff before they participate in the privatization of ECG under the Millennium Power Compact Two programme.
But reacting to the demands at a press conference, Mr. Agyarko insisted that, workers of ECG who want their severance packages will not be prevented, but must leave the company after receiving it.
“…If you decide to leave ECG, then you will be paid your severance, but you should not have the expectation or guarantee that the new company will take you on. You have made a decision to sever your relations with ECG, and it should not put you in faithful expectation that going forward you have a job with the new company.
So it is opened, all the ECG workers who want to leave and not join the new company are at liberty to do so and their severance so arranged.” “But it is not going to be a collective bargaining situation where all 6,500 ECG workers are paid the severance and then transferred to the new company.
You are at liberty to transfer yourself to the new company and carry with you all the benefits from ECG and continue accruing new benefits.
You are equally at liberty to say that I want to wash my hands off ECG and go my own way,” he said. But responding to the Minister’s comments Mr. Adumata said the union will not banter with the Minister in the media.
According to him, there are a number of options that they will consider if their grievances are not resolved. ‘’There are so many options available and so to say that we are going back to the drawing board is not frightening,’’ he added.
