On 24th May 2018, the Senior and junior staff local unions of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority in Tema and Takoradi held a press conference in Takoradi and raised some issues they considered as hampering the development of the Port and also levelled some allegations against the Board Chairman of GPHA, Peter Mac Manu.
“You are to ensure that things are done rightly at the port”, Chairman of the Senior Union of GPHA, John Aseeph exclaimed in the first press conference held at Takoradi.
Subsequently, Peter Mac Manu, Board Chairman of GPHA held a press conference to refute all the allegations and gave the union an ultimatum to retract and apologise.
“If for nothing at all, my work as board chairman as the record will show is making sure that the right thing is done for GPHA and the country and not the other way round”, the Board Chairman stated.
Indeed, the staff union admitted to have committed some blunder in their earlier press conference and have subsequent held another press conference to apologize to the board chairman, Peter Mac Manu.
“Some facts have come to our notice which on hindsight we would not have brought into the public domain against Peter Mac Manu and his family”, John Aseeph said.
John Aseeph, Chairman of the Senior Staff Union of GHPA, noted that the Union wanted to put on record that they did not call the press conference and level the allegations against the Board Chairman out of malice.
“As a union and a social partner, with a common objective of working together with management towards achieving the objectives of GPHA, we had some serious concerns about the happenings in GPHA, which we were not happy about. After the press conference, it has come to our notice that we did not engage management the more as we should have done before holding the press conference”, he stated.
John Aseeph said nevertheless, as a Union with a role to protect public interest, they would not shirk their responsibility as watchdogs of accountability in the governance of public institutions.
“We therefore withdraw the allegations against Mr. Peter Mac Manu in particular, his wife and sons unreservedly apologize to them.”
