35% pay rise for railway workers

It has emerged that railway workers in the country have been enjoying a 35 percent salary increment since July 2017.

Apart from that, they have also been receiving their monthly salaries on regular basis since then.

It would be recalled that prior to the coming into office of the current government, railway workers embarked on a series of strikes over salary arrears.

The workers have therefore described the move by President Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration as unprecedented and have commended the Minister for Railways Development, Joe Ghartey, for his personal role in ensuring the 35 percent salary adjustment.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Railway Workers’ Union, Godwill Ntarmah, revealed this at the opening ceremony of the 2018 National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Takoradi yesterday.

He also praised the government for the procurement of Ballast for effective maintenance of the existing rail tracks, procurement of wooden sleepers for strengthening the tracks, securing a contract for the rehabilitation of the Railway Training School, among other things.

Mr Ntarmah disclosed, “We are also ready to resume the passenger train services in Accra and we call on our minister to ensure the availability of all requirements to put the line in shape for the running of those services.”

Challenge

Mr Ntarmah indicated that one major challenge confronting the GRCL is the fact that the company has no assets of its own.

“The Railway Act, Act 779 of 2008 transferred all assets hitherto owned by GRCL to the Railway Development Authority (GRA). The union, on a number of occasions, has called on the powers-that-be to have a second look at the Act but to no avail,” he added, and called for a review of the Act with the view of returning all assets back to GRCL.

Nana Nketsia Happy

Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area – home of majority of railway workers – indicated that the initiative by the government had brought the railway spirit back.

“With just a year in office, I have seen a change in the railways which has renewed the hope of the workers and now they are no more in a state of mourning.

“I now understand that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made a careful decision in choosing Joe Ghartey, an Essikado boy, as the Minister for Railways Development,” Nana Kobina Nketsia averred.

Minister Joe Ghartey noted that one of the tragedies of Ghana’s post-colonial development is the neglect of the country’s railways.

“So during the 2016 electioneering campaign the New Patriotic Party declared its commitment to revamp Ghana’s railway sector when voted for,” he recalled.