Workers in the ongoing expansion of the Tema port have clashed with police over catalogue of issues relating to their welfare.
One of the workers has been rushed to the hospital after he was hit in the eye by a stray bullet.
“They called in the police and they have arrested some of the workers. The rubber bullet has injured someone’s eye. He has been rushed to the hospital. So what is happening in this country…?” the workers queried.
The police are yet to comment on the matter.
This is the third time the workers are staging a protest over treatment meted in the ongoing project.
Two similar demonstrations were embarked on between April and May which led to parting of ways with L’Aine Services Ltd which played middleman role between the workers and Chinese Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and other stakeholder in the port expansion project.
The workers aside their initial request further appealed to the board management to sack L’aine Service Ltd., the Human Resource subcontractor in charge of their salary and welfare.
“How can you pay your workers less than GHC 250.00 and expect them to survive and work well? The Chinese workers eat good means whilst we eat bread…” some of them complained.
But in an interview with Adom News’ Isabella Gidiglo Ave on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, some of the workers said they were given a month ultimatum signed by management to address the issues but never occurred hence boosting their wrath to react today.
According to them, the one month ultimatum ended on June 19 but approaching the board, they were not given any equitable reasons and neither were their concerns addressed by the Labour Commission when they filed a complaint.
With this, some of the workers have decided to shun the work whiles others are still in fury since they believe the management has taken them for granted.
According to Isabella, the police have been deployed to sack of the workers from the work environment since they have decided not to work but reduce productivity.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister for Roads and Transport, Daniel Titus-Glover was around to help settle the issues between the two parties amicably.
However the angry workers began pelting stones at police personnel deployed to restore calm as the police in return fired rubber bullets to disperse and push them further from the construction site.
“The police are shooting rubber balls and the workers are also throwing stones at them. Titus-Glover Deputy Minister for Transport came around to settle the issues between management and disgruntled workers. They took the matter to Labour commission and the issue continue to hang …. Adom News’s correspondent said.
“Last month we complained about the condition of service, they accepted and told us to expect responses in one month. They didn’t tell us anything better on June 19. We the workers can’t work in these unfavourable conditions. Seems the police came in to sack us…” one of the workers stressed.