VRA, NEDCo staff threaten nationwide strike over intended merger with Bui Power Authority

Staff of the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) are threatening a nationwide strike in response to the government's proposal to privatize VRA assets.

The government introduced a draft bill that aims to merge VRA with the Bui Power Authority, combine the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) with NEDCo, and establish an independent Thermal Power Authority.

However, the VRA staff are strongly opposed to this merger.

As reported by 3news.com, the staff expressed their displeasure by wearing red bands at the VRA headquarters in Accra.

They argue that the merger is a scheme to privatize the Thermal Department, allowing politicians and private individuals to take control of these critical assets.

They believe that VRA and Bui Power have successfully managed their assets independently and that merging them would be detrimental.

“We the Staff of VRA, understand the operations of VRA and its assets so it would be out of place to sit unconcern and watch the Government of Ghana disintegrate the Authority to the detriment of the Ghanaian populace,” the staff group said in a statement.

The group also revealed that the VRA Board Chairman initially denied knowledge of the merger, but management later admitted involvement in a technical committee that proposed VRA as a holding company.

The group claims the merger is a “smokescreen and geared towards surreptitiously swaying Ghanaians of their true interest of selling these assets to themselves and cronies.”

The staff group claims that the merger is not in the best interest of Ghanaians and vows to resist it.

ID/AE

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