Aboadze (W/R), May 23, – Dozens
of Aboadze youth in the Shama District in the Western Region have rained curses
on management of METKA Company, the fifth thermal plant under construction at
the Aboadze thermal plant.
As early as 0600 hours on
wednesday, the group converged at the beach near the premises of the Energy
company amidst chanting, cursing and pouring of libation to the gods and their
spiritual ancestors.
They contended that almost 95 per
cent of workers employed bythe company were not indigenes of Aboadze which
contradicted the Local Content Policy.
The group told the Ghana News
Agency that all efforts to channel their grievances through their leaders such
as the Chief, DCE and Member of Parliament had proved futile.
Their action at the company's
premises was therefore to send a signal
to management to listen to their plight and absorb them in the construction
work as well as other permanent jobs at the other four energy plants at the
Volta River Authority(VRA) namely,T1,T2.T3 and Ameri.
They also claimed that per their
social corporate responsibility, the energy companies had not assisted the town
in any form of social and economic infrastructure such as potable water, roads,
toilet and other facilities.
Addressing the group, management
of the METKA Company appealed to them to exercise restraint and forward their
grievances through their political leaders for redress.
According to management, the
construction work was being done in phases in which workers were being laid off
and others with the expertise hired on board.
Speaking to the GNA, the Member
of Parliament(MP) for Shama, Mr Ato Panford said he was at the site on Monday
,to meet Management of METKA and Amandi to fashion out strategies to contain
the situation.
He urged the Public Relations
outfit of METKA to disseminate the right information to the public for the
youth to be aware that workers at the construction site were being laid off and
new hands employed mostly skilled personnel.
Mr Panford advised the workers at
the site to be unionised to press home their demands.
On the way forward, the MP told
the GNA that he would address the concerns of the youth during a community
durbar in a matter of two weeks and
appealed to them to be calm and exercise patience.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Aboadze
Nana Attomu III ,has ordered the community fetish priest to revert the curse by
the youth group.
GNA
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