PUWU protests presence of media at meeting with minister
There was drama yesterday at the Ministry of Power when executive members of the Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) bitterly chided the deputy minister of Power, Mr John Jinapor, for inviting the media to a meeting they had been called to.
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The executive who did not take kindly to journalists looking on intensely and noting the exchanges while some took pictures, told the Deputy Minister in no uncertain terms that his actions were in bad faith.
Before then, Mr Jinapor had come out of the conference room to inform the executive that photographs would be taken before the meeting but the media would not be part.
He said he would brief the media after the meeting and that the executive could also speak to them but that was when they flared up.
Mr Jinapor then had to explain the presence of the media at the meeting, the purpose of which had then not been clarified to the executive.
He told them that he had not invited the media but had published the information of the meeting.
He told the executive that they were under no obligation to speak to the media if they were unwilling to do so.
It took Mr Jinapor and the Director of Communications of the ministry, Mr Kweku Sersah Johnson, to convince the executive to go into the meeting which went on for about an hour-and- a-half behind closed doors.
Agenda
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Minister of Finance, Mr Seth Terkper, who supervises the Ministry of Power, told journalists that parties discussed issues of concern to the workers.
He said the discussions were also within the wider framework of positioning the utility companies strategically in the oil and gas sector to distribute the power that would be produced.
Mr Terkper said the discussions would continue.
Quoting a proverb that it was when one shouted about an ache that others empathised, the Secretary General of PUWU, Mr Ato Bondzi Quaye, said workers at a press conference three days ago had cried about their aches.
Mr Quaye was happy that their cries had been heard and gave an assurance that they would monitor the pledges given by the minister for a continuing dialogue, saying it was a good start.