You owe us by your promise – former toll workers put heat on government to re-engage them
Angry members of the Ghana Toll Workers Union are demanding answers from the government over its failure to develop other employment options for their members before they stopped collecting the road tolls.
The union laments that the government’s failure to re-engage the workers immediately after the cessation of collection of tolls has hurt their livelihood.
This comes on the back of an assurance by the Deputy Employment Minister; Bright Wireko-Brobbey that the government is currently engaging with Toll and Route Management Limited to develop other employment modules for the re-engagement of toll workers.
Secretary for the union, Edward Duncan, called on the government to find an amicable solution to the plight of the unemployed toll workers.
“If the Minister tells us that they are developing modules, couldn’t they have developed the modules before closing down the toll booths so that as soon as they shut them down, they can absorb the toll collectors. The government owes us by their promise, so the government should do the right thing and settle this matter once and for all.”
The government has said, all former attendants at the defunct road toll collection points were paid in full for the duration of their contract.
Months after the government abolished the collection of road tolls in the country with a promise to re-assign the affected workers; many of them are still unemployed.
Answering questions in Parliament, Deputy Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Bright Wireko-Brobbey explained that although these workers do not have jobs as of now their salaries were paid in full.
“At the time of the suspension of toll collection, a total of 784 toll workers were engaged by the Ghana Highway Authority under a contract set to expire in December 2021. Out of the 784 contract workers, 517 of them were employed by the Toll and Route Management Limited, while 214 were employed by the Ghana Highway Authority.”
“As part of measures to cushion the affected workers, the government paid their salaries for the remaining time of their contract; that is November and December 2021.”
The toll workers were relieved of their jobs following a directive by the government in November 2021 to suspend the collection of tolls on roads and bridges in the country.
On the back of this, the government promised to pay affected workers until they are reassigned.
However, the workers say they are yet to be trained and reassigned to other jobs.
