TOR Union & senior staffs resist CEO's removal

The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) senior staff and the local union have teamed up to fight against what they termed the government's undue interference in its management, by the removal of the company's Chief Executive, Dr Yaw Akoto.

A source close to TOR said while the workers agreed that the government had the right to hire and fire members of management, it should also give them the opportunity to contribute to some of the decisions pertaining to such acts.

Some workers, who spoke on anonymity to GNA, cautioned the government not to use the 1990 crude method that led to the dismissal of all the junior workers at the refinery when they wanted to get Mr William Parker, then CEO, removed.

"This time round, both senior staff and junior workers have come together to fight the wrongful decision of government, and any calculated mistake can create problem at the refinery." The workers said: "We have kept our cool because we are aware that the government has not as yet issued any proper document about the removal of our CEO."

They said they were surprised at a statement by the Minister of Energy that the government could not assign reasons for the removal of the CEO in public and wondered if that did not go contrary to its acclaimed policy of transparency.

The workers held that if the CEO was inefficient, it should be the workers who would complain to the authorities for a change and warned that they would drive out any government official, who would not perform in their interest.

In another development, a 13-member committee has been inaugurated to investigate circumstances that led to the 21 May fire outbreak at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), the second since the one in July 1997.

The committee chaired by Dr. Kwame Ampofo, NDC Member of Parliament for North Dayi, has also been charged to assess and evaluate the readiness, adequacy, responsiveness and appropriateness of the refinery's employees and relevant plant equipment to deal with fire and other related emergencies at the premises.

Mr. Kan Dapaah, Minister of Energy who did the inauguration charged the committee to unearth all possible fire outbreaks that would help check future occurrences. "The refinery at the moment is in financial distress and is grappling to come out of it. Another fire outbreak is therefore, the last occurrence we need at the refinery, considering the feverish efforts being made by the government to improve the its financial position and performance."

Mr Dapaah urged the committee, which was expected to present its findings on 12 July to ascertain how directives given by the government following the fire outbreak would be implemented. He said the government has as matter of urgency also asked TOR to get its security network to take control over the environs at the refinery. The Energy Boss said the committee would be expected to make recommendations including disciplinary measures necessary to forestall any such incident.

He explained that the government was determined to ensure adequate security for the refinery due to its strategic nature to the country's economy. Meanwhile, the Ministry has reassigned the Managing Director of TOR, Dr Yaw Akoto to the ministry as director of Petroleum, a statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr S. Q Barnor, Acting Chief director said.

It said a five member Interim Management Committee has been appointed to manage the refinery pending the appointment of a substantive Managing Director. The members of the IMC are Mr Richard Forson, Deputy Managing Director for Operations, Dr Ali Abugri, Administrative Manager, a representative each of the senior staff, Workers union and a government nominee.