By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, April 28, GNA – The Public Utility Workers’ Union (PUWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has expressed concern over recent transfers and threatened reassignment of staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
In a statement issued in Accra, the Union said such actions, if linked to unverified claims, risked undermining morale and industrial harmony.
It stressed that attributing operational challenges to frontline engineers without credible investigations was unfair and counterproductive.
PUWU noted that the outages affecting parts of Ghana were largely due to long‑standing technical and infrastructural constraints.
It pointed to challenges such as overloaded transformers, inadequate bulk supply points, obsolete transmission lines and rising electricity demand in rapidly growing regions.
“Staff cannot be tried and convicted in the court of public opinion simply because of operational challenges beyond their control,” the statement said.
The Union emphasised that ECG staff are trained professionals who operate under strict technical standards and ethical rules, and called for respect for due process in addressing operational difficulties.
It referenced official acknowledgements by energy sector authorities that years of underinvestment had left ECG struggling with shortages of critical equipment such as transformers, cables and poles.
While welcoming recent government efforts to procure additional transformers, PUWU said these steps alone could not immediately resolve systemic problems that had accumulated over decades.
The Union cautioned that politicising technical challenges could disrupt professional operations, weaken institutional discipline and expose staff to unnecessary pressure while they carry out their duties.
“The practice of naming or threatening staff without recourse to established investigative and corporate governance procedures is deeply troubling,” PUWU said.
It therefore called on political leaders, opinion leaders and the media to exercise restraint, rely on facts and support long‑term solutions to the power sector’s challenges.
These, it said, include sustained investment in infrastructure, expansion of bulk supply capacity, modernisation of transmission and distribution systems, and respect for the professionalism of workers who keep essential public utilities running.
PUWU reaffirmed its commitment to professionalism, integrity and public service, stressing that lasting solutions to Ghana’s power challenges lay in collaborative, evidence‑based action to strengthen the electricity value chain.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey