BOST members sign condition of service

Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) has signed a condition of service agreement with local union of the Ghana Trades Union Congress in Accra.

Since 2000, the company and union had struggled through various negotiation procedures to arrive at terms for a comprehensive condition of service to ensure that workers perform their professional task with security of service.

At a brief ceremony to officially sign the condition of service, Mr Kwame Awuah-Darko, BOST Managing Director commended the union for their tenacity of purpose and commitment towards building industrial harmony.

He said BOST have now moved away from the culture of unprofitable state institution to high performing transformed institution managing the business of storage and transmission of fuels, focusing on excellence in security, safety and profitability.

Mr Awuah-Darko noted that BOST’s fortune started appreciating from 2014 from a deficit of over $15 million in 2013; the company made a turnover of $4.5 million in 2014 and the mid-year financial report provides high hopes for the year 2015.

“BOST is now a high performing organisation due to prudent management and industrial harmony between management and union,” Mr Awuah-Darko stated.

BOST operations includes monitoring and controlling the operation of the national interconnected network for the transmission of natural gas in areas within the country, and to ensure the safe, reliable and economic transportation of natural gas facilities connected to the transmission system.

It also seeks to provide transmission interconnection services without discrimination to other licensees in the natural gas industry; and provide transmission interconnection services to operators of natural gas networks in ECOWAS member states.

Mr Kakra Essamuah, BOST Board Chairman, attributed the changeover in the fortune of BOST to a new culture of cordiality among Board Members, Management and staffs as well as improvement in the work culture.

BOST has added the development of the local natural gas market and the building of infrastructure to facilitate its transmission and distribution.

Currently, BOST has a network of storage and pipeline infrastructure strategically located across the country. These are Accra Plains, Mami-Water, Akosombo, Kumasi, Buipe and Bolgataga Depots.

Mr Bernard Owusu Local Unionized Chairman who led a team of members including Mr Francis Salas a Representative from Ghana Trade Union Congress to sign the Condition of service noted that workers were ready to work extra hard to sustain and consolidate the growth and gains the company has made.

He acknowledged the journey to the successes at BOST in the beginning was challenging, but the unionized staff unflinching support to the new Managing Director and Board helped transform BOST.

“We believe the modest gains we have chalked in BOST can be replicated at Tema Oil Refinery if there is unwavering support from Union at TOR to the new management,” he noted.

Mr Owusu caution that: “if management see union as a threat in any organization it create rooms for agitation but if management acknowledges the work of union and supports them it creates industrial peace”.

The Union commended President John Dramani Mahama, for heeding to their plea of appointing a new Managing Director, Mr Awuah-Darko as well as a new Board under the chairmanship of Mr Essamuah.

Unionized members of BOST demonstrated against Management for mismanagement on October 1, 2013, and also against the Board for interfering in the day to day activities of the Company and for failing to put prudent measures in place to revive the dwindling fortunes of the only largest Bulk Storage for the country.

Following these demands President Mahama on October, 21 2013, appointed Mr. Kwame Awuah-Darko as the new MD for BOST.