Tollbooth workers to hit streets over Roads Minister’s ‘rushed’ decision to halt toll collection
Angry tollbooth workers in Accra are said to be gearing up to express their anger towards the government today November 30th 2021 by embarking on a protest regarding the stoppage of toll collection which has rendered them redundant.
Due to the lack of a proper exit plan for the said workers, they are lamenting how the decision by Roads and Highways Minister Kwasi Amoako-Attah is adversely affecting their livelihood.
This follows the directive by the Minister that the collection of tolls should be halted and it took effect from 12 am on Thursday 18 November 2021 with the Minister acting on the initial announcement made by the Finance Minister as he presented the 2022 budget statement. Though Ken Ofori-Atta specified that this decision was to be effective after the budget approval from the legislature, Amoako-Attah directed that toll collection be halted citing the reluctance of drivers to pay after the Finance Minister’s announcement in Parliament, a refusal that was leading to violent confrontations between toll collectors and drivers.
The government also assured that the tollbooth workers would be retrained and reassigned and that none of them will lose their jobs as they will continue to withdraw their salaries.
Secretary of the Ghana toll workers group, Edward Duncan, is of the view that the minister took a hasty decision.
“We are of the view that the Minister for Roads and Highways rushed the decision and should have waited for Parliament to deliberate on the budget especially on the part that deals with the cessation of the road tolls collection. So we are doing this to express our disapproval for the unlawful way in which he has abruptly brought our jobs to an end and our livelihood.”
Mr. Duncan also indicated that it will be prudent if the sector minister is charged with causing financial loss to the state.
“If Ghana was a place where rule of law worked, the Minister per his decision and actions has caused financial loss to the state and should be charged for it because every day we know we make about GHS200,000.”
“If this amount is multiplied by the number of days we have been sitting at home, you can imagine the amount of money the government is losing.”
This situation started after the Ministry of Roads and Highways called for the discontinuation of the collection of tolls on all public roads and bridges across the country from Thursday, November 18, 2021, at 12:00 am.
The directive was after the announcement by the Finance Ministry of the scrapping of tolls on all public roads as contained in the 2022 Economic Policy and Budget Statement.
However, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin who was not pleased by the decision of the Roads Minister subsequently directed the Roads Minister to reverse the directive, insisting it was illegal and must be immediately withdrawn.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
