Government claimed we were paid off, but that is not true – former toll workers
Looking back at how they and their colleagues lost their jobs, Mr Henry Dogbe, Chairman of the Ghana Road Tolls Workers Union and Mr Edward Duncan secretary of the Union believe the reasons why the toll collection was cancelled were untenable.
Giving their reasons during an interview on the Active Morning Show, they said contrary to the public perception they were not making enough profit at least if they were kept and the toll was increased a little bit government could have made some profit on the tolls as even the ones they were collecting made per their estimation; Ghana could have made at least GHS1.2 billion from the toll booths”.
Mr Henry Dogbe chairman of the union noted that “as a government, you are supposed to protect a profitable job,” adding that “toll booth operation does not cost much”.
They clarified that contrary to the public perception, toll workers do not spend the money or benefit in any way from the money they collect aside from their salary and from Monday to Sunday, the banks come in to take the money they have made away.
Considering their conditions of service, they bitterly complained that it is awful, especially in their line of work where oncoming vehicles could just hit their structure. They said one of their colleagues who was engaged on a tollbooth on the Tema Motorway was killed when a vehicle crashed into the structure.
According to Mr Edward Duncan, “even at that government did not fulfil its promise to the family, it made during the one-week celebration”.
They also revealed that the systems are poorly maintained. When one of their colleagues tried to protect the solar, they sometimes used the Minister rather than appreciate him got infuriated and suspended him, a clear reflection of the mess the toll booths have been left in since they were laid off.
Upon continuous reflection, the executives believe that the collection of tolls was sacrificed for the E levy. “They sacrificed the toll for the E-levy. They should have tested the grounds before implementing the E-levy despite them sacrificing us the E-levy is not giving them the desired results either“.
“Now no money in the system and our colleagues, and we are suffering.’’
They revealed how they also had to fall on the Chief Imam to come to their aid by intervening in their situation and upon his office interaction with the Vice President Dr Bawumia the government told him they had paid us off, a claim which is not true.
“The economic situation has also compounded our situation and when the level of unemployment is high security is affected,” one of the executives noted.
According to them the impression this their situation gives them is that it goes beyond E-levy and politics as we believe “it is as a result of two elephants fighting which is two leaders and we are suffering for it”.
They explained that you do not destroy what gives you at least some little revenue as a country in the name of power play. They underscored the need for their situation to be resolved before 17th November which marks a year since they were laid off, adding that the government would be surprised at the action they will take if they have not been attended to.
