Toll workers Call On Gov’t To Honor Promises Made 3 Years After Toll Operations Ended.
Former Ghanaian toll workers are accusing the government of not keeping its word three years after road and ferry toll collecting was discontinued.
About 800 employees lost their employment when toll collecting was abruptly stopped on November 17, 2021, after the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy was presented.
The government had promised to shift toll workers to other occupations and give them monthly allowances in the meantime through then-Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Roads and Highways Minister Kwasi Amoako-Atta, and Tolon MP Habib Iddrisu.
The impacted employees are in despair, though, as none of these promises have been fulfilled after three years.
They emphasized the financial struggles they have had and denounced the government’s inability to safeguard their means of subsistence in a statement released on November 17 and signed by Edward Duncan, the general secretary of the Ghana Toll Workers Union.
They also expressed worries about the possible use of automated toll collection, cautioning that it would make unemployment worse.
“We’ve engaged leaders from both major political parties. One suggests machines should replace humans, while the other calls for automation that still employs people. Even in countries with low unemployment, there is debate over AI and job security. In Ghana, where unemployment is high, the government seems intent on worsening the situation,” the statement read.
The group emphasized the need for the government to prioritize job creation and urged the administration to honor its promises.
