The Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) has condemned the charges brought against the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Ashanti East General Manager, Ing. Michael Wiafe for allegedly causing public unrest after a disconnection of power supply to the Kumasi Technical University.
This comes after the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah reported Ing. Wiafe to the Police for refusing to reconnect power supply to the university after cutting supply to the school for owing GH₵600,000.00.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, April 16, PUWU stated that the university had been served with a notice demanding payment of their debt and outlining the consequences of not negotiating for payment.
The statement further revealed that the University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Dumor, engaged Ing. Wiafe to negotiate payment terms since they could not afford the 75 percent upfront payment required for re-connection.
The Police at Zongo station in the Ashanti region demanded that Ing. Wiafe make a formal appearance and subsequently informed him of charges pressed against him by the Regional Minister for causing public unrest.
The statement mentioned that Ing. Wiafe was granted self-recognition bail by the police after providing his statement.
However, the PUWU described the actions of the Ashanti Regional Minister as unacceptable and a clear case of abuse of power.
“The Union strongly condemns this action by the Regional Minister and finds this particular incident very unfortunate and an affront to the rights of the ECG staff and members of the Union. These actions by some politicians are becoming too rampant, and the union is sending a strong warning against it.”
According to PUWU, the ECG has been authorised to distribute electricity and collect revenue, including issuing demand notices and disconnecting customers who fail to pay their bills in accordance with PURC guidelines.
“The National Union strongly opposes the tendency of political figures to use their power to oppress or harass public servants performing their official duties. We urge all political office holders to exercise tact and decorum when dealing with public servants carrying out their legitimate official duties,” the statement concluded.