Stakeholders want TOR to refine Jubilee oil
The General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) has called on government to address the erratic supply of crude oil to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to avoid the recurrence of LPG shortage.
This would also help in ensuring that the only refinery is recapitalised and tasked to refine oil from the Jubilee oil Field in the Western Region to keep it in business.
This was contained in a 17-point resolution passed by participants of a three-day “Oil for Development” workshop and signed by Mr Emmanuel Armstrong Mensah, General Secretary of GRPCWU in Accra.
The participants who were drawn from Oil Marketing Companies in the country noted that TOR’s strategic role in the country’s economy cannot be over-emphasised and therefore urged government to have a serious attention on the development of the petro-chemical industry.
They called on the National Petroleum Authority to collaborate with the Ghana Standards Board to wipe out unscrupulous companies which are engaged in the importation of inferior lubricants.
They observed that such lubricants are sources of frequent damage of the engine of vehicles.
Regarding health, safety and environment in the oil industry, the resolution said: “Government must ensure that qualified labour inspectors are given the necessary support to inspect oil and gas facilities in the country to ensure that workers operate under decent working conditions.”
The participants also identified outmoded labour laws in the oil industry as against the fast growing technological challenges within the labour market and therefore called on Parliament to review them.
They urged the Ministry of Energy to be vigilant on the various provisions in the Local Content and Participation Policy on recruitment and training so that Ghanaians are not short-changed.
They called for a law that would prescribe sanctions to check defaulters in the industry.
The resolution called for the establishment of a petro-chemical university in the Western Region to train Ghanaians in all aspects of oil and gas as well as leadership in oil and gas management.
“Government is urged to ensure that policies and regulatory provision, such as the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, Petroleum Commission Act, and the Petroleum Exploration and Production draft bill are passed into law in the interest of the people.”
They commended government for signing onto the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative and called for its passage into law.
They also commended Trades Union Congress for its role in sensitising stakeholders and other interventions and called on the union to continue to mobilise civil society and the media to ensure that the necessary checks are put in place to make the oil find a blessing to Ghanaians.
Source: GNA