POLICE, TEMA WORKERS IN SHOWDOWN

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Baring any hitch, there is going to be a showdown between the Ghana Police Service and some workers within the Tema Metropolis today.

This is because a well-planned demonstration scheduled for today by the Tema District Council of Labour (TDCL) appeared to have been stopped at the eleventh hour by the Tema Regional Police Command.

However, the workers have sworn heaven and earth to embark on the peaceful demonstration to draw the government’s attention to negative effects of that the recent increment utility tariffs are having on the employment sector.

The police is reported to have gone to court ex-parte yesterday to secure injunction on the demonstration after it had initially agreed with the demonstrators that they could proceed to demonstrate as planned.

The police is said to have served the office of the TDCL with the court documents indicating that they demonstration had been stopped but Frederick Ebow Quansah, Chairman of the TDCL planning committee that is overseeing the demonstration, said the committee had not received the court process.

He told Daily Guide via telephone that the police had not treated the workers fairly because they followed due process in notifying the law enforcement body.

“I have not seen any court document as I speak to you but if what I am hearing is true then I will describe the last minute action taken by the police as shameful.”

Mr. Quansah said that they notified the police long ago about their intention to go on demonstration to draw the government’s attention to plight of Ghanaian workers.

He said that last Monday, the police invited the leadership of the TDCL to discuss the demonstration and the route to take and they did not give them cause to worry that the exercise would not be carried out.

“In fact they said they were ready to provide us security. They gave us the green light and we also assured them it was going to be a peaceful exercise so why this sudden turn around?”

He said that currently on the labour front, employers had become much more concerned about the hike in tariffs and the government needed to slash it down as soon as possible.

“There is no way we can survive this heat. The companies are going to shut down and we will soon escalate the unemployment situation. We want the government to be aware of the repercussions of the decisions they are taking.”

“The police are trying to suppress the power of the workers but they should know that everything has its own implications.”

He said the demonstration will come off no matter the situation and gave the route as starting from Tema Community Centre through to Casino, Obonu FM, Community 4 Police Station and ending at the same Tema Community Centre.