Samuel Andoh, a manager and member of the Professional and Management Staff Union of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), has stated that the majority of individuals who participated in a recent protest against the company were not actual employees.
He addressed what he described as wild misconceptions surrounding VALCO’s operations, clarifying that plans are underway to secure strategic investors to modernise the company, rather than sell it outright as claimed by the aggrieved junior staff.
Speaking in an interview on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Mr Andoh debunked allegations that the state intends to offload the facility to businessman Ibrahim Mahama.
“Let me first debunk the assertions that the government is planning to sell VALCO. It is totally false. The government is only seeking strategic investors to help modernise the activities of the company,” he said.
He stated that employees across VALCO generally agree that the company requires investor backing to transform its operations. He noted that the company is currently bedevilled by severe operational challenges that have significantly undermined productivity.
According to him, the machinery at the plant is obsolete, and breakdown repairs often take days to complete. He added that VALCO is facing mounting debt and struggles to clear its utility bills and operational costs, making strategic investment the most prudent way forward.
Elaborating on the situation to host Kwabena Agyapong, he stated: “VALCO is facing struggles. We are unable to pay our debts and bills, and our machines are old—when they break down, it takes days to repair. This is not new. Government after government has made attempts to seek a strategic partner. Currently, we are able to operate at less than 20 per cent of capacity with more than 800 workers, meaning if we can operate at full capacity, the workforce will quadruple. So government is not selling VALCO; it is seeking investors for VALCO who will inject capital, bring on board their expertise, and offer exposure to the global market of aluminium.”
Mr Andoh explained that under any agreements signed, the investor would only hold a percentage of shares, reiterating that no outright sale would occur.
He maintained that fewer than 50 company workers participated in the recent demonstration.
“The workers are in full support of the strategic investment approach, but the junior workers who are in the minority realised their agenda to oppose the deal would not work, so they spoke to their mother body, the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union, to increase their numbers.”
He added that several participants did not fully understand the core purpose of the investment plan.
“There is no plan to sell VALCO. It is misleading for anyone to make such claims, so we would encourage the Ghanaian public to disregard it,” he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana