TDCL withdraws ultimatum

Following a recent arrangement reached between government and the Tema District Council of Labour (TDCL) over the lease of a portion of the PSC Shipyard to Tullow Oil, the TDCL says it has withdrawn an ultimatum it gave to government.

TDCL had previously wanted government to hand over the PSC Tema Shipyard to the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority (GPHA).

But Wilson Agana, Chairman of the TDCL, told journalists that the council abandoned its earlier threat after reaching an amicable agreement with government. He added that all parties involved including TUC had agreed to the original arrangement with Tullow.

The TUC and other wings of labour had been at loggerheads with government for sometime now for handing over the shipyard to Tullow to build its second FPSO. The council had directed workers of Tullow Oil to leave the shipyard premises prior to the amicable arrangement.

Also, the Trades Union Congress had been at loggerheads with government for the handing over of the PSC Tema shipyard to Tullow to build its second FPSO.

TDCL opted for PSC Tema shipyard to be handed over to the GPHA to manage, especially after the authority expressed interest and paid over $6 million for the shares bought back from the Malaysians who were managing it earlier on.

Initially, the TDCL said: “We will put a lot of pressure on the Malaysians to leave and we are going to do the same thing to government. We are only waiting for the court case to end then we start. We will fight until we throw them out. We know how to fight and win.”

GPHA previously downplayed reports that the authority was sidelined by government in its decision to hand over the PSC Tema Shipyard to Tullow Ghana.