GHA workers declare indefinite strike effective Nov. 12

Workers at the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) have declared an indefinite nationwide strike effective Tuesday, November 12, 2024, to register their displeasure over the government’s refusal to halt the implementation of the controversial National Roads Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1118).

The proposed Act seeks to unify road sector functions under a single National Roads Authority to enhance efficiency.

Additionally, the workers are demanding the immediate removal of key officials like I.K. Mensah, the Chairman of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) Board; and Collins B. Donkor, the Chief Executive Officer of the NRA.

According to the staff, the aforementioned officials have been complicit in decisions that threaten the integrity of the road sector.

This follows a formal petition to the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in which workers called for broader consultations before proceeding with the implementation of the new Act.

The petition highlights sections of the Act that could diminish the GHA’s operational autonomy and points to the World Bank’s 2022 Diagnostic Study for Transforming the Ghana Highway Authority as evidence that GHA should become more autonomous, not subsumed under a larger body.

This is likely to compound public services as members of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) have laid down their tools following the government’s delay in finalizing a new salary structure.