PURC to sanction ECG boss over recent strikes
The Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) has said it will sanction the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr Robert Dwamena for sitting down to allow his staff to embark on a strike action which crippled the delivery of services to electricity consumers.
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Additionally, the commission intends to penalise staff of ECG for going on an "illegal" strike to protest the privatisation of the company.
In an interview on Joy FM Tuesday morning, the Director of Public Affairs at the PURC, Nana Yaa Jantuah said the PURC board would meet and decide on the appropriate sanctions for the MD and its staff.
Some customers of the ECG were frustrated on Friday and Monday following the strike action by the workers as they refused to sell prepaid credit as part of their protest.
According to Nana Juantuah, the action by the ECG staff breached the law regarding the purchase and vending of pre-payment credit; thus, the need to sanction them.
“The purchase and vending of pre-payment metering is very clear. It’s very categorical [and] it says that ECG should make sure that the customer service offices for the vending of pre-payment metering should be open from 8am-5pm. And, the second law says that they should open it for 8hours. They have breached the law,” she explained.
She explained further that per the sanctions contained in the law, the staff will be fined penalty units, and also there is the “issue where the CEO [MD] can be imprisoned,” and that the PURC will decide which one to use after it meets.
She however, explained that should the PURC decide to prosecute the MD, it will be done through the Attorney General because PURC lacked the prosecuting powers.
That notwithstanding, she called for dialogue among staff of the company and government to resolve the raging impasse in order not to punish power consumers.
“The PURC believes that there should be more negotiation, there should be more advocacy [and] if for any reason, they are dissatisfied with portions of whatever intervention is going to happen, there should be some form of advocacy, the consumer should not suffer. We believe that it is time for everybody to have a cool head,” Nana Jantuah said.
Meanwhile, workers of the ECG have called off their two-day strike protesting against government's decision to privatise the company.
