Two high-ranking executives of the General Transport Petroleum Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) have been interdicted by the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Board of Directors in connection with the controversial TOR-Torentco deal.
The interdiction, effective immediately, was confirmed by Anthony Joojo Koomson, the Chairman of the Petroleum Union Senior Staff Association.
The Board alleges that the interdicted individuals breached a non-disclosure agreement, which forbids them from divulging details of the draft TOR/Torentco Lease and O&M agreements. The board cited Article 43(4)(vii) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between TOR and GTPCWU as the basis for the interdiction.
However, Mr. Koomson defended his actions, stating that the disclosure was made under the Whistleblower Act, as they had raised concerns about the TOR-Torentco deal’s shortcomings internally without receiving a satisfactory response from management.
“We alerted management about the shortfalls in the deal, and they told us they can’t respond to the issues because the board is solely in charge. We wrote to the board, and till date, they haven’t responded to us, so we just had to do the needful by making the issue public,” he explained.
Expressing his discontent, Mr. Koomson warned that the board’s decision to interdict them would not silence him. He accused the Board of incompetence, arguing that their role is not to micro-manage but to let management handle disciplinary actions.
“This is the biggest mistake by the Board because it will not end here. The mandate of the board is not to micro-manage management. It is management who is to take disciplinary action, but this clearly shows the incompetence of the board and the fact that they do not understand their job,” he criticized.
Meanwhile, the GTPCWU has threatened industrial action in reaction to the interdiction, voicing worries about the way the situation is being handled and the contentious TOR-Torentco arrangement.