Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) employees are threatening to go on strike if their demands are not satisfied, and they are pleading with the government to stop the National Roads Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1118) from being implemented.
The Act, which was passed earlier this year, intends to increase efficiency by combining the operations of the road sector under a single National Roads Authority.
Employees at GHA, however, are dubious, claiming that the centralization could exacerbate already-existing operational difficulties and increase bureaucratic delays.
GHA employees asked for more extensive stakeholder discussions prior to implementation in a formal petition to the President.
Additionally, the employees have called for the immediate dismissal of two senior officials: Chief Executive Ing. Collins B. Donkor and GHA Board Chairman Ing. I.K. Mensah.
They charge both officials with supporting a measure that undermines GHA’s independence and failing to consult personnel during the drafting process.
“We have lost absolute confidence in their leadership,” the workers stated. They accuse both men of overseeing the Authority’s impending reduction to a division under the new National Roads Authority, a move they say undermines the independence and effectiveness of GHA.
“We were not consulted before the Act was passed, and this has resulted in a law that does not serve the interest or welfare of workers.”
The petition identifies parts of the Act that would reduce the Authority’s operational independence and cites the World Bank’s 2022 Diagnostic Study for Transforming the Ghana Highway Authority as proof that the GHA ought to be given more autonomy rather than being absorbed into a bigger organization.
GHA employees have threatened a number of actions, including an indefinite strike, if the government does not comply with their requests. The government has been given 14 working days to withdraw or repeal the National Roads Authority Act and seven working days to dismiss the two officials.
Furthermore, they have vowed to boycott GHA’s 50th-anniversary dinner with the President if their concerns are ignored.
In their final appeal, the workers called on the President to act swiftly to preserve his legacy in Ghana’s road sector. “Your Excellency, we are confident that you will act expeditiously to resolve this issue in favour of the nation and the Authority.”
