Police have allegedly arrested some Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) picketing at the Roads and Highways Ministry for sleeping there overnight to demand their two years unpaid allowance from the government.
The suspects, all members of the Ghana Toll Workers Union, picketed the Ministry over government’s refusal to reassign them after several assurances following the scrapping of the toll collection in the 2021 budget statement and economic policy.
The workers had also been promised a monthly stipend by the government until they have been reassigned to other permanent occupations.
Following the failure on the part of the government two years on, they picketed the Ministry and were arrested and sent to the Accra Central police station.
The Union had earlier issued a statement to government asking it to honour its promises to them.
The Monday, November 13, 2023 statement said life has become unbearable for members following the failed promises by authorities, including the Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako Attah.
“We further ask our Government to respectfully honour its word and bring closure to this stalemate because the situation has become extremely unbearable for us,” portions of the statement read.
Find below the full statement from the Union:
It will be recalled that on the 17th of November, 2021 after the presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.
The Ministry of Roads and Highways illegally scraped the collection of Road and Ferry Tolls in Ghana and successfully inked about 800 of us (toll workers) onto the growing list of unemployed youths in the country.
Our shock and woes was somehow soothed by the promises which accompanied the reading of the budget statement by the Hon Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta – that all the toll workers will be re-assigned to other jobs.
This promise was reiterated by Hon Habib lddrisu when he received, on behalf of the Majority in Parliament, a petition we delivered to parliament on 30/12/2021.
He further promised that the Government will pay us a monthly allowance to sustain us until we are re-assigned.
This promise was further confirmed by the Hon Minister for Roads and Highways on the many occasions we had the opportunity to meet him and his team to discuss our welfare as Toll Booth Workers.
It is however very sad to state that two years after the Government took away our livelihood and right to live a dignified life, none of the promises it made to us have been fulfilled, this despite all the pleas we have made on the many occasions we’ve engaged the relevant authorities including Chief Directors, Heads of Departments and The Hon Minister for Roads and Highways Kwesi Amoako Atta.
It is surprising and difficult for us to understand why our government is treating us this way, more especially, when the cessation was through no fault of ours.
We want the Government to know that we exist and are still expectant.
We further ask our Government to respectfully honour its word and bring closure to this stalemate because the situation has become extremely unbearable for us.
