Tourists locked out at Cape Coast, Elmina castles

Hundreds of tourists visiting the Cape Coast and Elmina castles were on Saturday disappointed when workers of Ghana Museums and Monuments Boards (GMMB) currently on a sit-down-strike refused them entry into the two places.

The workers who were on an indefinite strike action to back their demands for the payment of their overtime and other allowances had locked up the main gates to the two castles preventing visitors both foreign and local from visiting.

Mr Leo Yankson, Vice Chairman of the local union said the workers took the decision because for some time now their allowances had not been regular and that the situation became worse this year when their overtime allowances, maintenance, medical and risk allowances among others were withdrawn, making their take 'home pay virtually empty.'

He said the workers had wanted to embark on the strike action as far back as February but management pleaded with them to exercise patience, while efforts were made to address their grievance, but nothing had been done.

He explained that their overtime claims, which never exceeded 75 percent basic monthly salaries had been woefully reduced to 15 percent of their monthly pay and therefore charged the management to liaise with all stakeholders to restore and correct the anomalies to meet the present economic conditions.

He appealed to President John Agyekum Kufuor to help address their grievance and re-define the role of the GMMB in the light of tourism development and promotion in the country

When contacted, the Regional Director of the GMMB, Mr Raymond Agbo, said he had no objection to the strike action since they had done the necessary negotiations to resolve the situation but did not achieve any positive results.

"At least this would make the government to understand their plight and come to their aid," he added.

Most of the foreign tourists the GNA spoke to expressed disappointment, but said they were not surprise as similar things do happen in their home countries.

They however appealed to the government to solve the problem so that the strike action did not extend to the Panafest period.