PUWU General Secretary, Mr. Michael Adumatta Nyantaki
The Public Works Workers Union (PUWU) has condemned the charges against the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Ashanti East General Manager, Mr Ing. Michael Wiafe was charged with causing civil unrest after power supply to the Kumasi University of Technology was cut off.
This was announced after the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, briefed Mr. Ing. Wiafe reported to the police for refusing to reconnect power supply to the university after cutting off power supply to the school citing a debt of GH₵600,000.
In a press statement released on Tuesday, April 16, PUWU said it had been served with a notice demanding that the university pay the debt and outlining the consequences of failing to negotiate payment.
The statement further revealed that the university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Dumol, was engaged to Mr Ing. Wiafe could not afford the 75 percent upfront payment required for reconnection, so it ended up negotiating payment terms.
Police at Zongo station in the Ashanti region demanded Ing. Mr. Wiafe made a formal appearance and then told about the charges leveled against him by the provincial minister for causing social unrest.
In a statement, Ing said: Mr Wiafe was granted self-recognizance bail by police after submitting a statement.
However, PUWU said the Ashanti Regional Minister’s actions were unacceptable and a clear abuse of power.
“The union strongly condemns this action by the regional minister and considers this particular incident to be very unfortunate and an affront to the rights of ECG staff and members. This is rampant, and labor unions have issued a strong warning against this.
According to PUWU, ECG is authorized to distribute electricity and collect revenue, including issuing demand notices and disconnecting customers who do not pay their bills in accordance with PURC guidelines.
“The National Coalition strongly opposes the tendency of politicians to use their power to oppress or harass public servants carrying out their official duties. We urge you to maintain tact and courtesy when interacting with others,” the statement concluded.
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