General News of Tuesday, 3 May 2005

Source: --

Anane Must Be Fired - Ghana Airways Workers

Workers of Ghana Airways are calling on President Kufuor to relieve Roads Transport Minister, Dr. Richard Anane of his duties at the Ministry.

The workers allege that Dr. Anane has failed to facilitate the improvement of their welfare and should therefore be fired.

The workers made their demand at the May Day celebration in Accra on Monday.

Workers of Ghana Airways had promised to take advantage of the May Day celebrations to register their displeasure against the delay in reaching a decision on their severance awards after government?s move to wind up the airline.

In addition to singing out what they think about the Roads Transport Minister, the workers also captured their sentiments on placards some of which read ?Bogus GIA?, and ?President Kufuor shine your eyes?. For emphasis, the aggrieved staff also carried a coffin with the inscriptions ?To let Anane for burial?, ?Anane go for AIDS test? and ?GIA & Co. Rest in Peace?.

The leader of the group, Nii Ayi told Joy News that Dr. Anane is insensitive to their plight and he deserves to be buried.

? We want President Kufuor to know that from today onwards Anane has been buried, we have his soul in that coffin and so from here we are going straight to the Awudome cemetery, he is not fit for the job. Even when he was appointed minister of health, he could not do anything for the health ministry, how can he manage an airline,? he says.

The group alleged that while salaries of staff are nothing to write home about, members of the Ghana Airways Task force are being paid a per diem of ?1 million a day.

To add insult to injury, they say, most of them have not been paid for the past four months whilst a number of them have been unfairly laid off.

Nii Ayi says government should respond to their cries to save their families.

?Ghana Airways staff are suffering, our children are sitting in the house because they have been sacked from school. Some couldn?t sit for the BECE examinations because there is no money for the exam and school fees. So we are pleading with government to come to our aid,? he says.

The group has arranged a number of meetings dubbed ?Anane Meetings? to draft out a formal petition to President Kufuor.