ICU strike work as usual in Sunyani

Bolgatanga GBC receives satellite transmitter from Deutsche Welle

ICU strike begins to bite as bank workers join

Operate within approved limits - Tuffour

Ugandan government delegation to study Ghana's water sector

Angry BHC depositors charge on ADB

Ntiri-Buoho to raise 65 million cedis for projects

Taxi driver robbed of his car

Water project faces engineering problems

Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 1 Feb. 2000 

Contrary to directives by the leadership of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) urging its members to go on strike, all banks within the Sunyani township on Monday briskly did their normal business.

The intended one-week industrial action announced by the ICU last Friday was to register the union's displeasure at what it called "unfair labour practices and gross injustices to its members, including liquidation of the Bank for Housing and Construction and the Co-operative Bank".

But the Brong Ahafo Regional Industrial Relations Officer for the ICU, Mr Osei Assibey, blamed the situation on a breakdown in communication and expressed the hope that the strike would definitely start from Tuesday.

The local leadership of the ICU within all the banks that the Ghana News Agency contacted said they could not start the strike action until they had received directives from their headquarters.

Some of the banks visited were the Ghana Commercial Bank, Agricultural Development Bank, National Investment Bank, Barclays Bank and the rural banks.

In Accra however, the week strike to protest against violation of workers rights, unfair labour practices and arbitrary dismissals began on Monday.

The action is also against what the ICU perceives as bias treatment of workers of the Ghana Manufacturing Company (GTMC), Wire Weaving Limited (WWL), Akosombo Textiles Limited and assault on workers of African Automobile Limited.

The leadership of the ICU is also demanding the resignation of Mr Austin Gamey, Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare and Mr Stephen Yaw Darko, Chief Labour Officer for their alleged role in taking sides in labour issues and incompetence.

Hundreds of workers from the various branches of the ICU converged at the forecourt of the TUC Headquarters bearing placards amidst drumming, singing and dancing early this morning.

Some of the placards read, "liquidation of two banks is a millennium blunder", "liquidate Ministry of Finance, Re-instate Ikam workers", Mr President You See?" " BHC made profits," "Workers/management policy, the best", "Politicians liquidate your brains and "Mr President Help Your Citizens".

Members of the ICU working with hotels and restaurant handling the African Cup of Nations were exempted from the strike action to take care of the numerous visitors in the country.

Mr Napoleon Kpoh, General Secretary of ICU said the strike action would go on as planned.

He said the government has failed to protect the interest of workers and rather exposed them to hardship and injustice.

The ICU Secretary General said if nothing concrete is heard from the government after the first five days of the strike the ICU would call for the complete withdrawal of services for another three weeks.

Mr Kpoh said the reasons for the closure of BHC and Co-operative banks were not tenable.

He urged the government to reverse the liquidation action saying it did not show any regard for workers and labour.

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Bolgatanga (Upper East) 1 Feb 2000

The Minister of Communications, Mr John Mahama, has said the restructuring of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) is aimed at making it more efficient and financially independent.

He said funding has already been secured and the government is concluding an agreement with a German concern to undertake the restructuring from May, as part of the National Institutional Renewal Programme (NIRP).

Mr Mahama was speaking at the commissioning a 22-million-cedi satellite receiving equipment donated by the German International Media Organisation, Deutsche Welle (DW), to the GBC-URA-Radio in Bolgatanga.

Deutsche Welle financed the procurement and installation of the equipment to facilitate the re-broadcast of its programmes in English.

The Communication Minister noted that at the end of the retooling, re-equipping and re-organisation, which would last for about two years, the GBC is expected to be more efficient and should be able to stand on its own financially.

Mr Mahama said under the programme, GBC's studios would be rehabilitated and provided with up-to-date equipment, while both television and radio signals would be hooked onto a satellite to ensure quality and wider reception.

The Cultural Attache of the German Embassy in Accra, Dr Florian Reindel said the assistance is in furtherance of the fruitful relations between Ghana and Germany.

He recalled German-Ghanaian co-operation in the media in the late 1960's through an agreement between Transtel of Germany and GTV to telecast the popular programme "Old Fox", and "Football made in Germany", among other programmes.

The Regional Director of GBC, Mr Adam Cokra, thanked the German Government on behalf of the Management of GBC.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 1 Feb. 2000

The five-day strike called by the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) began to bite on Tuesday as many branches of commercial banks in Accra closed their doors to the public.

Hundreds of angry customers, however, insisted that all the branches that had closed should render normal services because the public have not been given prior notice.

Some threatened to take legal action against the banks.

There was mixed reaction to the strike call on Monday as most branches worked normally. Union leaders explained that ICU directives for the strike came late on Friday.

During GNA's visits to the banks on Tuesday, ICU leaders were spotted going round to ensure that the banks closed their doors to their customers.

With the exception of the ATM at its Head Office, all branches of the Barclays bank have been closed.

The Head Office branch of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) was working normally by 1130 hours.

The Trust Bank was also working normally because they are not members of the ICU.

Managers at Head Office Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) are serving customers but the unionised staff were meeting with leaders of the ICU.

The Adabraka Branch of SCB was working normally when GNA got there at 0900 hours. The Acting branch manager of the bank, said they had not received any directives from the Head Office on the strike.

At the Head Office of the Ghana Commercial Bank, normal work was going on at about 0945. However, they closed the doors to customers at about 1000 hours, saying they had received instructions from the ICU to strike.

Workers at GCB head office said they are not happy that the ATMs of SCB and Barclays are working, adding, "this will not make the strike action effective".

An angry customer at the Ghana Commercial Bank, Liberty House, shouted at the top of his voice: "What is happening to this shameful country?"

Another nearly shed tears asking; "Can't you open for me to withdraw the 20,000 cedis I have left....?"

Others needed to withdraw money to pay their children's school fees as most workers had just been paid.

At the Ministries Branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank, a picket posted at the door, prevented customers from entering the banking hall.

He refused to give his name but said any information about the strike could be sought from the High Street Branch.

Ms Bernice Akuba Duku, a customer of the Bank who works with the Prices and Incomes Board, said she wanted to withdraw money to buy drugs but was told that the bank was not working.

"They did not tell us whether they are on strike or anything like that. All that they said was that they are not working. From now on, I will put my money under my pillow so that I do not suffer like this again."

Mr Simon S. Agbobli of the Ghana National Fire Service, said he saved with the Mobil House branch of the liquidated Bank for Housing Construction and was told on Monday to go and bring some documents to enable him to cash his money.

When he went to the Bank with the papers he was told the Bank was not working.

"This is not the way to solve problems. This is dirty politics. They should not punish us because they have a problem with someone else," he said in high tone.

Officials the GNA spoke to at local branches could not tell when the strike would be called off.

The banks, whose workers are members of the ICU, are striking in solidarity with workers of the two liquidated banks and the Ghana Textile and Manufacturing Company.

The Bank of Ghana closed down the Bank for Housing and Construction (BHC) and Co-operative Bank two weeks ago in view of heavy losses incurred by them but the senior management staff workers union of BHC have called on the liquidator to hand over the assets to them.

The ICU said the strike is also to protest against unfair labour practices and gross injustices being meted out to workers.

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Koforidua (Eastern Region) 1 Feb. 2000

Mr Ralph Kwasi Tuffuor, acting Controller and Accountant General, has cautioned the staff of the department in the regions and districts to ensure that they operate within their approved budgetary estimates.

He warned that his office would not tolerate any officer who misapplied funds for personal use.

Mr Tuffuor, who was speaking at an end-of-year dinner dance of the staff in the Eastern Region at Koforidua, asked them to be abreast with the government's financial policies particularly the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the Ghana Universal Salary Structure.

The New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Adu Boateng, warned that the government would not tolerate any embezzlement of public funds by officers of the department.

The Eastern Regional Director of the Accountant-General's Department, Mr Emmanuel Bani, announced that the region did not record any embezzlement of public funds, last year as a result of regular checks by the National Audit Task Force.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 1 Feb. 2000

Mr Charles Adjei, Managing Director of Ghana Water Company Limited, has said the company is negotiating with foreign investors on the possibility of leasing its facilities in the Accra-Tema area under the ''Built Own Operation Transfer'' (BOOT) system.

The BOOT, to take off by 2003, would allow investors to develop water plants and manage it for 20 years after which the facilities would be released to the government.

Mr Adjei was briefing an 18-member government and private sector delegation from Uganda currently in Ghana to identify investment opportunities in the water and sanitation sector.

The delegation, led by Mr Patrick Kahangire, Director of Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment, would also share ideas and experience with their counterparts on Ghana's water sector reform.

Mr Adjei said the negotiation is in line with the company's Public Sector Participation (PSP) Programme that seeks to encourage Direct Foreign Investment.

He said to ensure affordable community water delivery, 110 small water systems were transferred to the districts and the communities involved are managing the facilities themselves.

He said areas such as Volta, Northern, Upper East and West regions that are not economically viable would continue to have support from the headoffice until they become viable.

The Managing Director said the company would welcome ideas and innovations that would push the sector forward.

Mr Kahangire expressed the hope that by the end of their visit, they would have gathered enough ideas and information and an insight into Ghana's water sector.

The delegation on Monday toured Kpong Water Works to acquaint themselves with its facilities.

The delegation, which narrowly escaped the Kenya airline plane crash at Abidjan on Sunday night after missing it, will return home on Wednesday February two.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 1 Feb. 2000

Angry depositors of the Mobil House branch of the liquidated Bank for Housing and Construction (BHC) on Tuesday besieged the premises of the Cedi House Branch of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) to demand an explanation to delays in the payment of their transferred deposits.

Six representatives of BHC depositors speaking at a meeting with top management officials of the branch said all other branches of ADB have made payments to BHC depositors whose accounts had been transferred to them.

Official sources at the branch on Monday attributed the delay in paying the BHC depositors to the uncooperative attitude of BHC officials at the Mobil house.

"They have refused to allow us to have access to their computers to scan and verify the signatures of depositors whose money has been transferred to ADB," one ADB official said.

He added that until BHC officials co-operate "we cannot pay the deposits."

The depositors said they disagreed with the way ADB was handling the issue, adding that "there are other reliable means by which depositors' identities could be verified.

"We have filled and submitted forms with our signatures and photographs to the ADB which could also be used to verify our identities.

"We have also submitted our business codes, identity cards and passports, which were demanded by ADB. These should be enough for them to ascertain our identities and pay us our money."

The depositors said their businesses have come to a standstill while others have not been able to pay the school fees of their wards.

ADB Officials who addressed the depositors at the premises of the bank, apologised to them for the delay and assured them that by the close of day on Tuesday, they would have rectified the issue for payments to start on Wednesday.

The ADB officials told the GNA that there is the need to scan the signatures before any payments could be effected, saying "this is to prevent the falsification of signatures".

They said some of the deposits are in joint accounts under which two people "must sign before a withdrawal could be effected. In such cases, they would not make payment unless both parties sign".

Meanwhile, pensioners who presented their identification cards, started collecting their money though their signatures had not been scanned.

On the week-long strike action initiated by the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) of the Trade Unions Congress (TUC), the ADB officials said the bank is not participating in it.

They said they are not aware of the decision of the local union on the strike action. However, both junior and senior staff are working and would continue to work throughout the week.

Meanwhile, reports from Ho says the Ho Branch of the Barclays Bank of Ghana Limited on Tuesday joined the five-day strike called by the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union of TUC (ICU) in solidarity with workers of the liquidated Bank for Housing and Construction and Co-operative Bank.

Local branches of the SSB Bank Limited, Ghana Commercial Bank and the national Investment Bank are, however, serving their customers.

As at 9 am when the GNA called at the Barclays Bank, it remained closed with a "closed" sticker hanging on the main door while customers were waiting outside.

All the banks in the Ho township opened for business yesterday.

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Ntiri-Buoho (Ashanti Region) 1 Feb 2000

The people of Ntiri-Buoho in the Kwabre district are organising a fund-raising rally for the construction of a six-classroom block, a library and the completion of a JSS workshop.

Mr Sampson Adu-Poku, assembly member for Ntiri-Buoho, told newsmen at Ntiri-Buoho in Ashanti that the target for the first phase of the project is estimated at 65 million cedis.

The project would involve the moulding of 6,000 blocks for the construction of six classrooms, furnishing of the school library and plastering of the JSS workshop.

Mr Adu-Poku said the Ghana Book Trust has provided the community over 1,000 reading books worth one million cedis for the library.

The fund-raising is scheduled for 13 February. He appealed to all citizens of the town to contribute to ensure the success of the programme.

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Ho (Volta Region) 1 Feb 2000

Two men, posing as officials from the Ghana Police Criminal Investigations Division (CID) from Accra on official duty in Ho last Saturday, allegedly drugged a Ho taxi driver and took away his Opel Kadet cab number VR 17 R.

The Taxi was reportedly seen in Accra on Monday heading towards Kasoa in the Central Region.

Mr Daniel Aka, the driver, who recounted the incident to the GNA, said the two beckoned him at Ahoe roundabout and introduced themselves and asked for his services in the investigation of a rape case.

Mr Aka said he took them to the Ho District Police Station and the Regional Police Training Depot where on each occasion, they went into the police offices and returned.

On their way to the Chances Hotel on the outskirts of Ho, they stopped at the Goil Rest Stop where the men bought him a bottle of Malta Guinness.

Mr Aka said he left the men at the Chances Hotel and later went for them as requested.

Later in the afternoon, he picked the two men in a drinking bar at Afifekofe, about three kilometres from Ho on the Ho-Accra road, where he was given a satchet of Yoghourt bought by the men earlier in the day.

From Afifekope, around 4pm, he drove the men to Sokode-Gbogame, a distance of about five kilometres from Ho where the men bought food but did not eat it with the explanation that they were getting late.

He said the last thing he could remember was that they were returning to Ho.

Mr Joe K.K. Quansah, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ho District Police Commander, said a hunter found Mr Aka unconscious at about 3 am on Sunday near Hoviefe, off the main Ho-Accra road.

A medical report signed by Dr H. K. Lesta of the Ho District Hospital said Mr Aka was drugged but did not state the nature of the drug.

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Ho (Volta Region ) 1 Feb. 2000

The sustainability of the Volta Regional Community Water Supply and Sanitation Project (VRCWSSP) is being threatened by conflict of interests by its corps of district engineers.

The situation is compounded by the inability of a majority of District Assemblies to employ the engineers who allegedly failed to train technicians expected to take over from them.

These were disclosed during a one-day workshop organised by the project management for District Chiefs Executives in the region to explore ways of ''Sustaining post delivery technical services'' for the project in the region.

Mr Edem Asimah, Project Co-ordinator, told the workshop that two main options need to be considered for adoption by the assemblies to overcome the problem.

Mr Asimah said the positions of the District Engineers and their offices should be transformed into private sector entities that can provide sustained technical and professional services to the districts on retainer basis or on specific services.

The second option is to integrate the District outfit into the District' Works Department with additional resources for remuneration of the District Engineers and a mechanism to justify the possibility of improved packages for high calibre of expertise required from the engineers.

The ten year - (1993-2003) project is designed to provide safe water supply and sanitation facilities for rural communities with populations ranging from 300 to 4,000 under the joint initiative of the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and the Ghana government.

It is a project in which the communities make small financial contributions as a sign of their commitment to the facilities to be provided.

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