Workers of the Ghana water Company Limited in the Brong Ahafo Region are headed for a fight as they threaten to ground operations in the region in protest against the recent purported sack of the company’s Finance Officer whiles the company’s Chief Manager remains at post.
The workers in the past week engaged in a peaceful protests against what they considered as unfair management policies that did not favour workers and the highhandedness of their chief manager who they said was being shielded by management although he was part of a scandal that led to the interdiction of the company’s finance officer.
Following their red band protest, some members of management including the chief management in an attempt to gag the aggrieved workers threatened to report their conduct to the BNI if the refuse to back down on the protest and intended strike action.
But the unyielding workers in an interview with our reporter in Sunyani served notice that they would on their own petition the Economic and Organised Crime Ofiice (EOCO) and other state institutions against the Chief Manager over alleged corruption and mismanagement of the Region.
“They can stop us from protesting but cannot stop us from petitioning EOCO” The workers charged.
A copy of the petition sighted by this paper and headlined Financial Misconduct and Abuse of Office, catalogues recent happenings at the region which they said needed immediate attention.
Allegations in the petition included unaccounted funds, inflated contracts and projects, ghost projects, financial recklessness and corruption, abuse of office and highhandedness.
The petition which will published in subsequent editions read in parts: “The staff of Ghana water Company Limited in Sunyani has continued to witness several injustices, inequality and total disregard to staff matters, as well as accumulative maladministrative actions of the Chief Manager Ing. Joseph Nkrumah”
According to them the actions of the Chief Manager are not only against the company’s ethical code of conduct and rules; they are also against the economic and financial principle of the company.
“The allegations brought against Ing. Nkrumah are verifiable and investigation into this matter will bring further light to the matter.” They said
When asked if they were not jumping the gun, as management had already started investigations into the matter with a committee already working, they argued that an internal investigation was not the way to go. “From the way our Finance officer was interdicted before even investigation was commenced there is no way we can get justice and there is no way the truth will come out. We have a lot say but we think the right forum is EOCO” They said
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