Workers at the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) have threatened to commence on an industrial action if the government’s plan to implement the National Roads Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1118), is not halted.

The Act, passed earlier this year, aims to consolidate road sector functions under a single National Roads Authority to enhance efficiency.

However, some GHA employees are concerned that this centralisation could lead to increased bureaucratic delays and exacerbate existing operational challenges.

As reported by citinewsroom.com, in a formal petition to the President, the GHA workers requested broader stakeholder consultations before the Act's implementation.

“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 Act, in its current state, needs to be halted until a wider consultation is made and used to inform what institutional reforms are necessary," part of the petition read.

Additionally, the workers have demanded the immediate removal of GHA Board Chairman Ing. I.K. Mensah and Chief Executive Ing. Collins B. Donkor.

They accuse both officials of failing to engage with staff during the drafting process and endorsing a law that compromises GHA’s autonomy.

"We have lost absolute confidence in their leadership," the workers stated, accusing the officials of overseeing the Authority’s reduction to a division under the new National Roads Authority, which they believe undermines GHA’s independence and effectiveness.

The petition highlights sections of the Act that could diminish the Authority’s operational autonomy and references the World Bank’s 2022 Diagnostic Study for Transforming the Ghana Highway Authority, which suggests that GHA should become more autonomous, not subsumed under a larger body.

If the government does not meet their demands, GHA workers have threatened to “embark on a strike and lockout if our requests are not addressed.”

They have given the government seven working days to remove the two officials and 14 working days to withdraw or revoke the National Roads Authority Act.

They have also vowed to boycott GHA’s 50th-anniversary dinner with the President if their concerns are ignored.

In their final appeal, the workers urged the President to act swiftly to preserve his legacy in Ghana’s road sector.

ID/MA

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