Alleged diversion of solar panels brews trouble in Wa

The Upper West Regional Executives of the Ghana Private Road and Transport Union (GPRTU) have been petitioned to reinstate some executives of the Wa Cargo branch of the Union, who were dismissed for allegedly diverting some solar panels belonging to the branch for their private use.

The dismissed executives are Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim, Chairman, Mr. Enusah Awudu Alafia, Vice Chairman, Mr. Tamaa Abu, First Trustee and Mr. Hudu Saeed, Second Trustee.

Addressing a press conference in Wa, Mr. Osman Issahaku, the Secretary of the Cargo branch of the Union, expressed members' disappointment at the decision of the Regional GPRTU Executives and described their action as a calculated attempt to drag the hard won reputation of the dismissed executives and the entire Cargo branch into disrepute.

He said according to their own investigations, the solar panels were acquired by the dismissed executives based on their personal relationship with a private individual and not through the name of the Union as being alleged by the GPRTU Executives.

Mr. Issahaku explained that the private individual in honoring the request gave 10 solar panels, six of which have been installed at strategic positions at the Cargo Station, and the remaining four allocated to the four executives to be installed at any public places of their choice.

He stated that the GPRTU Executives twisted the facts to unlawfully dismiss the cargo branch executives upon mere allegations contrary to Article 22 (C) which states that “suspension of officers should not be carried out on mere allegations”.

“In furtherance with their unconstitutional actions, they set up a committee to investigate the alleged misappropriation after suspending the four branch executives and went ahead to dismiss them before the committee submitted its report, prejudicing the committee’s work,” he said.

Mr. Issahaku stated that members of the branch found the allegation unsubstantiated and engineered by mischief and called on the Regional Executives to reinstate these wrongful dismissed executives and invoke Article 39, clause D of the union’s constitution without delay to avoid factionalism, confusion and rancor in the union.