Railway workers across Ghana on Monday declared an indefinite sit-down strike, bringing services under the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) to a halt over unpaid salaries and worsening working conditions.
The industrial action, led by the Railway Workers’ Union in Accra, is set to begin on Tuesday, May 13.
On Monday morning, workers in Accra wore red attire and carried placards with inscriptions such as: “We have not been paid for seven months,” “We have not had an increment for three years,” “Where are our salaries?” and “Railway sector needs investment now,” among others.
Speaking to reporters, the Accra Branch General Secretary of the Railway Workers’ Union, Franklin Cobbinah, said:
“For seven months, we have not been paid, and we have not heard anything tangible from our management. So we are giving them till the close of today.”
“If we do not hear from them, we will advise ourselves. The workers will be coming to work, but nobody will be touching anything. The morning train that runs from Tema to Accra—we will stop that train. Not just in Accra. In Tarkwa, we will do the same. In Tema, Takoradi, Kumasi—they will all do what we are doing here,” he stated.
He added:
“We are about 967 workers, and not one has been paid for seven months. Just imagine: if you have a wife and even one child, look at the utility bills—we can’t afford it. We want the management to come and tell us why we have not been paid.”