KIA privatisation: ‘We’ll fight with our blood to keep our jobs’ - Staff

The leadership of the Ghana Airport Company Limited Workers’ Unions has served notice their members are prepared to fight with their blood to stop the alleged privatisation of the Airport.

It comes after the Aviation minister Kofi Ada accused the leadership of mischief and misleading their followers.

He told Bola Ray on Starr Chat that the leadership of the association is deliberately feeding their membership with wrong information about the purported privatization of aspects of the airport in order to win support.

Reacting to the claim, chairman of the union Issaka Bamba told Starr News any attempt to further privatize operations of the airport will be resisted by staff.

“If you gauge the mood of staff back at the airport I can tell you it’s not that safe. We can control it up to some level, we wish it doesn’t get there. Because we want to protect the jobs for our people and they shouldn’t try it. I can assure you we will fight with our blood to protect the job for our people,” he warned.

Background

TAV Airport Holding Company Limited per a cabinet memo in possession of Starrfm.com.gh will be in charge of the “day to day operations, including facility maintenance and fees collections.”

The aim of the proposal, according to the leaked cabinet document, is “to help bring about physical development of the airport enclave and transform the KIA into a world class airport with improved managerial efficiency.”

The document prepared by the Aviation Minister for Cabinet consideration said under its Concession Agreement clause that: “As payment for their services, the concessionaires receive a percentage of the gross revenues from the operation of the airport but are required to pay the airport owner the greater of this percentage amount or a minimum annual guaranteed amount.”

It added: “The Concessionaires assume most of the risk for potential downturns in the airport revenues but also receive a greater reward if there is an unexpected increase in airline passenger traffic.”

The proposal noted the terminals at the Kotoka International Airport will be managed by “airlines or other airport managers.”