May Day: ECG staff stage a walkout during Osei-Mensah’s speech

There was drama at an event to mark the 2024 May Day celebration in the Ashanti Region when staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) staged a protest against the region’s minister, Simon Osei-Mensah.

The ECG staff, who have been feuding with the regional minister for some weeks over the arrest of their boss, staged a walkout during the minister’s speech at the Workers’ Day event held at Kumasi on May 1, 2024.

According to a news report by onuaonline.com, the walkout is in response to the minister's refusal to apologize for causing the arrest of the ECG general manager for the Ashanti Region.

The report indicated that the National Vice Chairman of the ECG Senior Staff Workers’ Union, Bismark Adomah, has said that the company would not have anything to do with Osei Mensah until he renders an official apology.

“As you are aware, we already have an issue with him. He has done something that the workers are not happy about. Initially, the workers' front was demanding that we shouldn’t even appear at all. But we think that this is our program and we need to be present.

“Since he said he’s not ready to fulfill whatever we asked him to do, we don’t even want to listen to him. So, this is just a peaceful protest that we’re not going to listen to whatever he will say. If he’s done with his speech, we’ll go back,” Adomah is quoted as saying.

The ECG workers’ union also threatened to disconnect power from the private residence of the Ashanti regional minister if it is found that he owes the company.

The Ashanti regional minister is reported to have filed a complaint with the police against the General Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana in the Ashanti Region.

The complaint was made in response to the disconnection of the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) from the national grid due to an outstanding debt of GH₵1.2 million.

According to the minister, he had previously informed the ECG Ashanti Region that they should notify him before carrying out any disconnection within public universities.

However, he was not informed about the disconnection at KsTU, which led to his complaint.

The regional minister’s complaint resulted in the general manager being detained by the police and asked to write an official statement before being granted self-recognizance bail.

The workers have asked the minister to apologise for his actions but he has refused.

BAI/AE

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