Airport staff show solidarity with Managing Director

Members of the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) and Staff of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) on Thursday showed solidarity with the Managing Director (MD), Mrs. Doreen Owusu-Fianko, over the Board’s decision to dismiss her from her post.

The staffs, with red armbands, were seen singing and chanting in front of the Headquarters building of the GACL.

The Board Chairman of the Company, Mr. George Kuntu Blankson on Monday announced that Mrs. Doreen Owusu-Fianko had been sacked by the Board and was expected to hand over to her Deputy, Mr. John Amedior.

He did not give reasons for the Board’s decision.

Mrs. Owusu-Fianko, who addressed the gathering briefly, urged them to calm down and go about their duties as usual, as it was their collective goal to see the company and the airport progress.

Mr. Richard Amparbeng, General Secretary of the PSWU, who spoke to the GNA in an interview, said the leadership of the union had spoken to the staff and advised them to go about their normal duties since the matter was not a union issue that would warrant an industrial action, especially since the airport was a sensitive and security area.

He assured them that the union was taking up the matter with the Ministry to seek an amicable solution to the problem, which he hoped would be resolved by next week.

“The staff is apprehensive about the processes involved because this is not the first time such a thing was happening at GACL and why conditions of employment have not been used, especially, since there were conditions regulating entry, sustenance and exit in employment. Also, the former MD, Mrs. Esi Annor Sackey was dismissed in the same manner and the staff have realized that it is becoming a trend and needs to be nipped in the bud” he stated.

He noted that although the MD’s appointment was beyond the Union, they had met with the Ministry of Transport and had been assured that the matter would be amicably resolved.

Mr. Amparbeng explained that such matters should be documented, and that, so far the MD had maintained that she has not been officially notified about her dismissal, so it is not certain whether she would hand over to her Deputy tomorrow as was directed.

“Matters of such nature are not by mouth, it should be documented because these are matters of employment. Employment is about documentation.”

In a separate interview, on Tuesday, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Twumasi Ankrah Selby, confirmed the decision of the Board, but said he could not state the reason for it, as it was purely a Board issue and could only be addressed by the Board Chairman.

Source: GNA