The Ghana Air Traffic Safety Electronics Association (GHATSEA) has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to intervene in an escalating labour dispute at the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), accusing the Authority’s Director-General, Rev. Stephen Wilfred Arthur, of intimidation, victimisation and failing to engage workers.
In an open letter dated September 1, 2026, the Association said months of disagreement over working conditions and staff welfare had created what it described as an atmosphere of fear within the Authority.
The latest petition brings back into focus a labour dispute that has simmered for more than a year, including threatened industrial actions in 2025 and January 2026 and the subsequent interdiction of GHATSEA President, Engr. David Annan Mensah.
GHATSEA alleges that rather than resolving the concerns through dialogue, management has adopted an increasingly hostile approach towards members advocating for improved conditions of service.
“Rather than fostering a collaborative environment for resolving industrial concerns, the Director-General has resorted to intimidation, coercion, and victimization of association leaders and members who seek to advocate for the legitimate interests of association members,” the Association alleged.
It warned that the situation could have consequences beyond the internal labour dispute, arguing that declining staff morale and strained relations could ultimately affect productivity and the efficiency of Ghana’s aviation sector.
Association Presdent interdicted since March
Central to GHATSEA’s latest complaint is the continuing interdiction of its President, Engr. David Annan Mensah.
According to the Association, Mensah has been interdicted since March 3, 2026, allegedly over a threat of industrial action.
“As it stands, the President of GHATSEA has been on interdiction since 3rd March 2026 and remains interdicted to date for allegedly threatening industrial action,” the Association said.
It described the action as “unjust and disproportionate”, insisting that the issues being pursued by its leadership concerned legitimate workplace grievances affecting its members.
The interdiction means that, as of September 1, the head of the Association has remained away from his substantive duties for almost six months.
The latest petition follows a January 2026 escalation in the dispute when GHATSEA issued a formal strike notice after accusing GCAA management of failing to resolve longstanding welfare and human-resource concerns despite several rounds of dialogue, mediation and arbitration.
At the time, the Association raised complaints about alleged inequities in job placement, salary distortions and the handling of staff welfare. It threatened to withdraw services if the outstanding issues were not resolved by January 15, 2026.
Among its demands were the implementation of recommendations contained in what it described as the Dr. Imoro Report, action on a Promotional Needs Petition submitted in July 2025 and changes in the management of the Authority’s human-resource function.
Dispute stretches back to 2025
The current confrontation is part of a longer cycle of threats of industrial action, negotiations and renewed disagreements between the technical workers and GCAA management.
In October 2025, GHATSEA announced plans for an indefinite nationwide strike over what it described as unresolved grievances involving salary administration, job placement and staff welfare, some of which it said had persisted for more than 15 years.
The threatened action was particularly significant because GHATSEA members are Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel, or ATSEPs, who maintain critical communication, navigation, surveillance and air-traffic-management systems used to support aircraft operations.
GHATSEA says its members install, maintain, calibrate, test and certify electronic and meteorological systems used by air traffic control. The Association, originally founded in 1976 as the Aeronautical Telecommunications Technicians Association, is affiliated with the International Federation of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Associations.
Ahead of the October 30, 2025 threatened strike, the GCAA activated a contingency plan and assured airlines and the travelling public that air traffic services within the Accra Flight Information Region would continue safely despite the threatened withdrawal of services.
That strike was eventually suspended following talks between GHATSEA, the GCAA Governing Board and management.
Interestingly, following those discussions, GHATSEA publicly commended the then Acting Director-General, Rev. Stephen Wilfred Arthur, and the Acting Deputy Director-General (Technical), Theophilus Aryee Ago, for their role in the negotiations and expressed optimism that the outstanding issues would receive lasting attention.
By January 2026, however, the relationship had deteriorated again, with GHATSEA claiming the assurances given after the October negotiations had not resulted in satisfactory resolution of its concerns.
PLEASE READ FULL OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXECELLENCY JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA 2:
