Power Minister snubs Organised Labour at energy confab

Organised Labour has vowed to intensify pressure on government to solve the energy crisis following the snubbing of an energy forum by the Minister of Power, a union leader has told TV3.

Dr Kwabena Donkor has been accused of failing to honour an invitation to address workers on Wednesday, April 29 over steps government is taking to address the power crisis.

The crisis has led to massive job cuts with the Ghana Employers Association quoting 12,000 as the figure of jobs cut so far.

As a result of its members being at the receiving end of this development, Organised Labour has taken steps to engage government to finding at least a short-term solution to the crisis, the union leader said.

Speaking on TV3’s News @10, Abu Kuntulo, the General Secretary of the Health Services Workers Union (HSWU), said the Power Minister is yet to justify his absence at the forum.

“We invited the government to come [for the forum] and share key challenges if there are any but as I speak to you now, we failed to see the appearance of the Minister of Power to come and tell us anything that they have,” Mr Kuntulo, who is also the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2015 May Day celebrations, said.

According to him, the action of the minister smacks of lack of transparency on the part of government in tabling the real cause of the crisis.

“Not only government [but also] the service providers themselves need to tell the whole country [or] Ghanaians that these are the real issues that are confronting them which is making the energy crisis not to come to an end.”

He said until the crisis is solved, workers will continue to drum home the need for a solution.

This year’s May Day celebration in Ghana has been themed: “Addressing the Power Crisis – the Role of Organised Labour.”