TOR staff forego salaries to save company

Staff of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has agreed to forgo their November salaries to help revamp the fortunes of the company which has been saddled inactivity for some time now.

Mr Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko, Managing Director (MD) of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST who is also the Managing Director of TOR said the measure would save the company about GH? 3.8 million and contribute to the revamping of the company.

Speaking during the re-commissioning of the Bolgatanga Depot of BOST on Monday, he said his appointment as the MD of TOR was to facilitate the merger of the two companies (BOST and TOR) to make the two one giant force in the oil industry in the country.

He said due to mismanagement, Ghanaians now pay 10 pesewas on every litre of fuel purchased to help in the revamping process of TOR.

“For now, we are working on how we can get TOR out of problems and help make it stand on its feet, he said.

He said within the next four months TOR would be producing the highest quality petroleum than any company could import into the country.

At the ceremony, Mr Awuah also signed a contract with Sonabhy, a Burkinabe based Oil company to provide about 60 per cent of its fuel needs through the Bolgatanga Depot.

He said the Depot which was constructed in 1990 has been left idle for the past nine years due to lack of patronage.

Mr Mark Woyongo, Minister of the Interior, expressed concern about the numerous filling stations, which are springing up in the northern sector and cautioned fuel dealers to desist from smuggling the product across the borders.

He appealed to BOST to collaborate with the Ministry of Road and Highways to ensure that the roads in the region often used by tankers are maintained.

He commended BOST for undertaking the refurbishment of the Bolgatanga Depot with its internally generated fund and not with financial support of the Government.

Mr Daniel Syme, Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, noted that the reopening of the Bolgatanga Depot would reduce the cost of transporting fuel from Tema and Buipe to the Upper East and beyond as well as create employment avenues for the people in the region.

“I will commend the management of BOST for strategically establishing this facility in our region to fulfil the vision of providing petroleum product to our neigbouring countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and beyond”, he added.