Dr Mawuli Tettey Ayenu, the spokesperson for Indigenous Freight Forwarders, says the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) cannot be insulated from exploitative practices by shipping lines operating in the country.
Last Tuesday, hundreds of members of importers and exporters hit the streets of the Tema Main Harbour enclave to demonstrate against the exploitative practices by shipping lines operating in the country.
The demonstration, dubbed: ‘Shipping Line Demo’, among other concerns, gave the shipping lines fourteen days to scrap the imposition of all arbitrary charges such as local administrative fees, container cleaning fees and empty container fees, which the protesters described as ‘silly’ charges that needed immediate scrapping.
He called for the immediate cessation of demurrage charges on weekends and public holidays, which said unfairly penalised businesses during non-working days when clearance processes are halted and a refund of all demurrage fees that have been levied during these periods because the charges are unjustifiable and harmful to businesses.
“Who says the Ghana Shippers Authority is not oblivious of these disturbing concerns of the demonstrators? You see, because some people in high authority might be beneficiaries of the exploitation, the GSA and government have demonstrated reluctance to protect our businesses at the ports,” Dr Ayenu said
For the GSA not ‘whipping’ the shipping lines to cease the exploitation of the logistics players, when the former is not oblivious of the happenings at the port, Dr Ayenu said it is time the leadership of Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) mobilised them [logistics players] to protest against and petition the GSA for its failure to protect them.
“So, I want to commend my leadership for mobilising us to shake the shipping lines for milking us and giving them a fourteen-day ultimatum to stop exploiting us, but I would appeal to my leadership to charge us to pour on the streets to spit fire at the GSA for not protecting us.
“They [GSA] and government cannot be innocent. If shipping lines cannot do in Nigeria what they are doing here in Ghana, where the laws protect the logistics players then why can’t our government and GSA do the same?” Dr Ayenu asked.
