Casual workers at the Tema Port on Wednesday held the Management of the company hostage for about two hours when they were told that they would be transferred to the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) on September 17 as part of privatisation exercise.

A source said the Police Buffalo Unit was deployed to get Mr Nestor Galley, Manager of the Company, released from the "temporary prison" imposed by the workers.

The source said tension heightened at the Port when the casual workers got information about the proposed transfer and without consulting their Local Union marched to the offices of Tema Port and held the Management hostage.

At the time of filing this report work had come to a standstill. Attempts made to talk to Mr Ben Owusu Mensah, Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), proved futile since he was said to be attending a crisis meeting with the Local Union and the Leadership of the Maritime and Dockworkers Union (MDU) behind closed doors outside the headquarters.

The GPHA is preparing to privatise some aspects of its operations and this would force the Management to retrench some workers.