Report by Ben LARYEA
The Unionised staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) of the Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) of TUC-Ghana has raised red flags due to abysmal performance of Managing Director, Mr. Kwame Agyeman Budu.
Addressing a news conference in Accra, the General Secretary of the Public Utility Workers Union of TUC – Ghana, Mr. Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi said there are pertinent challenges affecting the operations and industrial harmony of the company which the MD is accountable.
Mr. Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi
According to the Union, the MD must not be given any contract extension as well as the Board of Directors of the company since some are taking undue advantage of the managerial weak capacity of Mr. Kwame Budu as a result of personal interest.
He mentioned unnecessary contact extension for some top management staff which is not helping in the progress of the company, increasing system losses, lack of proper strategic and innovative leadership skills by management.
“The Union have observed the burning issues such as acute shortage of meters, some customers have paid for new service for over six (6) months and still waiting, lack of Electricity Cables for key maintenance and service connections, shortage of electrical poles for new service and repair works, absence of basic office materials such as common stationery affecting the smooth running of the company”, he charged.
“Demonstration of ‘one man show’ type of leadership coupled with disrespect and virtual abuse of some Directors and General Managers, favouritism in certain appointments, which is destroying the spirit of competence and merit within the company, delays in payment of deductions from staff salaries for Mutual Fund Credit Union and other welfare contributions”.
He revealed that management had series of meetings and some issues which came to the fore were the continuous stay in office of Mr. Kwame Budu as MD after attaining 60 years on 17th February, 2022 and silence on the issue by the Board so staff are of the view that the Board Chairman is virtually operating like an Executive Chairman demonstrating power play and muscle flexing.
It would be recalled that agitation of workers on Friday, 9th April, 2021 requested for the removal of Mr. Kwame Agyeman Budu from office as Managing Director due to poor performance mostly in areas of technical and financial operations which gradually sunk ECG as a worrying concern and as at December, 2021, the aggregate system loss was around 30%.
(The Daily Searchlight appears every day on the newsstands and for sale 24 hours every day and all week on www.ghananewsstand.com. Visit www.ghananewsstand.com for a wide variety of newspapers published in Ghana and from across the world.)
