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GT staff demonstrate in support of
Vodafone deal
Accra, Aug. 12, Ghanadot/GNA- Both
junior and senior staff of Ghana Telecom (GT), in Accra on
Tuesday went on a two-hour demonstration amidst drumming and
dancing within the premises of the headquarters to register
their support for the controversial proposed sale of 70 per
cent of the company to Vodafone.
The staff at the headquarters joined their colleagues from
other regional capitals, who have been demonstrating since
Monday to counter pressure from political parties, pressure
groups and individuals criticising the deal and asking
parliamentarians not to give the nod.
The GT staff have also prepared a petition to be presented
to the Speaker of Parliament with copies of a press
statement to each of the 230 members of Parliament, calling
on them to approve the deal and save GT from collapse.
The stand of the GT staff members is directly in conflict
with views expressed in a court action by a group from the
Convention People’s Party (CPP) against the government and
GT against the deal.
There was also another demonstration at the entrance of
Parliament by members of the Committee for Joint Action (CJA)
in protest at the sale.
In their press statement signed by William Agyei, Chief
Manager and Head of Roaming, the staff members stated that
they supported the GT-Vodafone deal because Vodafone
happened to have what it took to turn GT around and make it
competitive in the telecom industry.
"We have studied the full benefits of the Vodafone bid and
we are optimistic that the future of GT lies in the
ratification of the agreement by the honourable members of
Parliament and we wish to call on them to go ahead with the
process," he said.
But the views of the workers on the Vodafone deal and the
protest from public was better spelt out in the messages on
the placards they wielded and the songs they sang during the
demonstration.
Some of the placards read: "Support GT/Vodafone Deal", "Put
Politics Aside and Let's Save GT", "Do not Sacrifice GT for
Politics", "GT must be saved", "Save GT Now for Posterity"
and "If the sale is not allowed competition will kill GT".
Some of the placards were directed at the CJA and they read
- "Who knows best? CJA or GT" and "GT is worth more than CJA".
Meanwhile, a man who attempted
to damn the sale and demonstration was driven away by GT
demonstrators.
Mr Agyei told journalists that unlike the members of the CJA,
they the staff of GT knew exactly what the state of GT was
and that their demonstration was a well informed one.
"I can tell you that if this deal fails GT cannot survive
for two years- I can't say what the staff members will do
but the fact is there will be no GT for anybody to work in
if the deal fails," he said.
Mr Agyei recounted circumstances that led to the heavy
indebtedness of GT and how GT lost most of its corporate
clients to competition.
He said GT needed a company with the financial muscle of
Vodafone to survive the local competition characterized by
multinational players.
"The government is investing nothing into GT as of now but I
can tell you that when Vodafone comes on board even the 30
per cent shares to be held by the state will be worth far
more than the current 100 per cent shares in terms of
money," he said.
GNA
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