Osa Workers Threaten Demo

Workers of the Omni-Bus Service Authority (OSA) have threatened to embark on a demonstration if the government and management fail to meet their demand for payment of their salaries and allowances, which have been outstanding for almost a year now.

Some of the workers Chronicle spoke to said, the problem does not only exist in Accra but pertains in the other regions.

They said all the 13 stations of the service lack of vehicles to work with and they think the problem does not only rest with the staff but also with the top management.

Some accused the top management of sitting on the money and failing to meet their demands. They only give them promises, which are never met.

"I cannot pay my children's school fees due to the delay of my salaries and now my children are at home. Also my landlord has ejected me from his house and I sleep in this yard in the midst of mosquitoes" a worker said.

They said it is untenable for the company to be made to cede its tools and facilities to the newly established the Metro Mass Transport while they suffer.

The workers called on the government to come to their aid and that if it wants to lay off some of them it should come out to state it clearly and pay their arrears to them or put the two companies together.

When The Chronicle contacted the management of OSA they confirmed that there are arrears to be paid to the workers but explained that the 13 depot stations are self-accounting and that they operate buses to generate their own revenues.

The company was put on divestiture in 1995 and that, according to the management contributed to its low performance, as it could not meet the required conditions such as lay off workers.

The company could not also access loans to operate because it had been listed for sale and no supplier was willing to sell spare parts on credit when the vehicles had broken down.

When the present government came to power it deleted OSA from the divestiture list and promised to revamp the company but the management said they have instituted some measures with their social partners to sustain the company before the government's help comes