UNI-PASS fiasco: Our trucks are being stolen – TCT Drivers Union bemoan

TCT Drivers Union at the Tema ports has bemoaned the gradual loss of their jobs due to the inability of importers to clear their goods from the ports.

Due to their current situation, about seven trucks have been stolen, Chairman of the Union, Peter Adjetey told GhanaWeb.

He said “We are gradually losing our jobs because importers and agents are not able to pay for their goods at the banks, among others to clear them… About 7 vehicles of ours have been stolen because they’ve been parked for weeks.”

Mr. Adjetey noted that their assistants, popularly known as ‘mates’ have been tasked to sleep in the vehicles at an extra cost to help curb the stealing menace.

A member of the union also alleged that ever since UNI-PASS took over trade facilitation at the ports, they’ve been rendered jobless due to the technical challenges it's met with.

During the interview, he said, “We’ve been jobless since last week, just after UNI-PASS took over GCNET to operate.”

The drivers, together with importers, clearing agents and freight forwarders have called on the government to go back to the old system, GCNet and forgo UNI-PASS.

The old system, they argued, is not time-consuming and easier to work with as compared to the UNI-PASS system.