Accra, Oct. 6, GNA- Concerned workers of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) have raised alarm over what they describe as a deliberate attempt by certain members of the Board of Directors (BOD) to undermine the refinery’s operations through alleged vindictive staff transfers and poor managerial decisions.
In a strongly worded statement, the concerned workers called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, civil society organizations, and the general public to intervene and save the ailing refinery from collapse.
According to the concerned workers, despite the refinery’s long-standing operational challenges, some BOD members are worsening the situation by engaging in actions that threaten the viability of TOR.
They claimed that staff transfers, appointments, and restructuring were being done with ulterior motives, specifically targeting employees who did not support certain individuals within the leadership.
One of the major concerns raised by the workers was the appointment of a former Deputy Managing Director (DMD), who was previously dismissed by the President, as a key member of the current Board.
The workers question how such an individual could be given a prominent role in directing the affairs of the refinery.
“How can someone who has been sacked by His Excellency the President of the Republic as Deputy Managing Director of TOR be appointed as a member of the current BOD as a key member who directs the affairs of the Board?” the workers asked in their statement.
They further criticized the expansion of the managerial team, particularly in dormant departments such as the Waste Water Treatment Plant, which they argued did not require the three sets of managers currently assigned to it.
The concerned workers alleged that this restructuring was aimed at rewarding cronies and loyalists rather than addressing the real challenges facing the refinery.
“There has been an attempt by the sacked DMD to pay back those who did not empathize with him when he was sacked by the President,” the statement reads. “Experienced managers are being made redundant, and others are being forced into roles they are not qualified for, all in the name of nepotism and cronyism.”
The workers also decried the transfer of a business development manager to a non-operational plant as a shift manager, further emphasizing that the refinery has not refined crude oil since 2018.
They accused the Board of being more concerned with securing allowances and maintaining idle positions than with finding solutions to TOR’s operational struggles.
“These particular BOD actions of questionable appointments, transfers, and creating more managers and general managers increase the wage bill of TOR for no reason. It is just to satisfy their cronies, sycophants, and bootlickers,” the workers asserted.
The statement warned that these actions are breeding disaffection among skilled workers and could lead to a wave of resignations, further weakening the refinery’s capacity to function.
They urged the President to intervene immediately to stop the alleged mismanagement and save TOR from further decline.
“The government and the people of Ghana must save TOR from this vindictive Board of Directors who have no vision for the refinery but are at TOR to settle personal scores,” the workers stressed.
The statement concluded with a call for accountability, referencing the Ghana National Security slogan, “See Something, Say Something,” and President Akufo-Addo’s famous call for citizens to be active participants in governance: “Don’t be spectators but citizens.”
The workers hoped that their concerns would prompt swift action from the government to prevent further damage to the refinery’s operations.
“As of now, there has been no official response from the Board or the Ministry of Energy regarding these allegations.”
GNA