Metro Mass strike: Stores officer interdicted for inciting workers

A stores officer at the Metro Mass Transport Limited (MMTL), Ayim Francis Gyampioh, has been interdicted. The Stores Officer was interdicted for allegedly holding a meeting with other members of the company in Kumasi without the consent and approval of management of the company. A letter signed by the Human Resource Manager of the MMTL, Eric Otu, addressed to the stores officer dated Monday, 10 0ctober 2022, said: “It is further alleged that you incited the workers to wear red arm bands, contrary to fair labour practice, and thus an illegal industrial action.” “As you are aware your wilful disregard for authority in this regard contravenes the rules that regulate our labour relations in this company. “In view of the gravity of this allegation, you are interdicted from duty with immediate effect to allow further investigations into the matter. And in line with our interdiction regulations, you will receive half (1/2) salary and will be required to report twice weekly (i.e Tuesdays and Thursdays) to the Branch Manager, Kumasi until the matter is finally determined or otherwise directed.” The Senior and Junior staff of MMT Limited embarked on a sit-down strike yesterday. The workers are calling for the removal of Mr Albert Adu-Boahen and his two deputies over allegations of mismanagement. However, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the company, George Asante, has said the MD is not to be blamed for the current situation of the company and blamed senior staff for orchestrating the strike. Speaking on 12Live with Valentina Ofori-Afriyie, Wednesday, 12 October 2022, the PRO described the decision by the staff to embark on strike as “unlawful.” He explained that: “The decision by a section of the workers to actually undertake this unlawful exercise is quite disturbing and I call it unlawful because as a company, we have a policy that govern some of these activities, one cannot wake up and because the person feels there are few concerns, we can declare strike action or we can lay down our tools. “There’s history to this, the company appreciates the contribution of our workers’ union and that is why they have a mother union called the divisional union, that is the mother union and all of these unions are also under the Ghana Petroleum and chemical workers union. "So if a worker feels that there are concerns, what he or she has to do is to write to their union or the branch union and the branch union will write to the divisional and the divisional will subsequently also report or write to the mother union at the national level for them to write to management and engage management on that.” He said the practice of calling for the removal of leaders has not yielded results. “They have continuously been practicing this system of always trying to use such industrial actions to get from office our managing directors or executives and until today, we’re still not getting solutions, so why do we continue to see strike action as the way to go?” The PRO, also noted that this is not the first time this is happening and indicated that the company needs to identify the problem and find a solution to it. “We’re operating a transport company and you need buses to run to be able to mobilise enough revenue to make payment of certain obligations. As we’re speaking, nationwide, we’re running 187 buses. "You’ll bear with me that for the past two years, fuel prices have witnessed several increments, and the question is, Metro Mass as part of policy some of our fares are even 50 pesewas lesser compared to other transport operators, so we’re not competing.”