Workers of the Ghana Railway Company Limited will soon heave a sigh of relief as an amount of GH₵10 million has been released to the Bank of Ghana to offset 4 out of 15 months of salary arrears.
The General Secretary of the Railway Workers Union, Benjamin Essuman, confirmed that the payment is expected to reach employees’ accounts by next week, following the completion of necessary processes by the Ministry of Transport.
He urged, however, that the government works to settle the remaining salary arrears in a timely manner.
“So far, regarding the four months’ worth [of arrears] that have been released, the Controller and Accountant-General was processing them for payment into individual employee accounts as of last Friday. We are also aware that funds have been released by the Bank of Ghana to the Ministry of Transport. Therefore, it is our hope that by next week, our employees will receive payment for four months of salary arrears,” Essuman stated.
“We understand the remaining eleven months of salary arrears will be cleared using proceeds from the auction of the company’s obsolete equipment and materials. As a Union, we are insisting that this payment be made before December 20th, and we hope the Ministry will honor this commitment, as it was the promise made by the President during our meeting,” he reiterated.
In the meantime, the government’s plan to retrench workers at the company has yet to be executed. Mr. Essuman argued that it would be unwise for the government to proceed before the arrears are cleared. He indicated that an initial 43 percent of the workforce, primarily employees aged 50 and above, are being considered for layoff.
“The government wants to clear the arrears first; from there, we will sit down for all necessary negotiations. They are considering laying off 43 percent of the workforce, targeting employees aged 50 years and above. That category will be the first to be retrenched, with further reductions, if necessary,” he explained.
The Western Rail line has been non-operational for the past years due to ongoing reconstruction. A new standard gauge line is being constructed to connect the Takoradi Port to Kumasi, with a branch line from Dunkwa to Awaso.
By Abraham Mensah
