The cessation of the collection of the road and bridge tolls in November last year has rendered many of the toll booths workers unemployed, without any means of survival. Unfortunately, most of these road and bridge toll workers are persons with disabilities, and they have been deprived of their livelihoods and source of incomes since January.
When the decision for the cessation of these road tolls was declared in Parliament by the Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Attah, last year, it was a devastating blow for the workers. However, members of the Ghana Toll Workers Union were consoled when Kwasi Amoako-Attah, the Roads Minister, gave the assurance that they would be reassigned. Despite an assurance to reassign them and pay their salary arrears, the toll workers say they were yet to receive their salaries since January this year.
The Deputy Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Bright Wireko-Brobbey, has recently assured the workers that the government was currently engaging with Toll and Route Management Limited to develop other employment modules for the re-engagement of the toll workers, but it seems like it has become all talk without action.
The question is; if the government knew it would develop modules, this could have been done long before closing down the toll booths, so that as soon as they shut down the booths, they can absorb the workers. Developing the modules now is like closing the stable after the horses have bolted, or putting the cart before the horse.
Though the toll workers were paid their salaries in full in November and December last year, the remuneration has since then stopped from starting of January 2022 till date. Considering that most of them are persons living with disabilities have narrow opportunities for employment and have families to take care of, the government and ministry of roads and highways must act now.
Moreover, the Ghana Toll Workers Union on June 5, 2022 petitioned the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to reintroduce the collection of the road tolls as they have been idle for seven months.
The introduction of the e-levy, for which reason the road toll was cancelled, is after all delivering only 10 per cent of estimated income. So, government should start considering the petition to bring back the road tolls and bring back jobs and smiles on the faces of the toll workers. If government does not want to bring back the road toll, then it must reinstate the toll workers into the labor force.
The Chronicle is, therefore, asking the Ministry of roads and highways to intervene so that something urgent is done about their plight.
