The Ashanti Regional Association of Welding and Fabrication has petitioned government over poor quality of materials amidst hikes in prices.
Dissatisfied members of the association has bewailed that the depreciation of quality of materials affect the quality of their work.
They said despite the poor quality of materials, the hikes in prices is crippling their businesses.
Members of the Association registered their displeasure in a demonstration on Thursday, November 3, 2022, in Kumasi.
Chairperson of the Association, Kwasi Appiah, said “vendors of metallic materials base on the depreciation of the cedi to exploit us. We can budget for a number of materials only to be shocked with unimaginable prices at the shops.”
“The quality of materials we work with has drastically reduced.The poor quality makes our metals rust and rot quickly. They have reduced the length and breath of all materials. You can go to buy a metal of 20ft only to get to the workshop to realize that it has been reduced to 17ft.This situation affects our credibility as welders and it has lead to preventable misunderstanding with our customers,” he bemoaned.
He added saying “the sellers of metallic materials in Kumasi are stealing us and we will soon revolt against them. We are cautioning them to rescind on these illegalities. We are calling on government to swiftly intervene for a smooth business environment for us all.”
The Association has also urged the Ghana Standards Board to take interest in the quality of metal products.
“We are urging the Ghana Standards Board to take particular look at the standard of metal products (quality, length, breath, thickness etc) imported into the country,” he stressed.
However, they have cautioned residents in the region to engage certified welders for quality works in order to prevent possible shoddy works and exploitation.
By Issah Zakariah|AkomaFM|Onuaonline.com
