President Nana Akufo-Addo is yet to receive the petition by the management of Neoplan Ghana Limited requesting for government’s intervention in the operations of the company as it heads for total shutdown this Friday.
This is according to Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin.
Management of the company says scores of the workers will lose their job if government fails to intervene.
The company has also lamented over the continuous neglect by successive governments.
In an interview with Citi News, Eugene Arhin assured that the President would act on the petition if he finally receives it.
“It might have gotten to the Presidency but there are processes before it gets to the office of the President so it hasn’t reached the President yet. So per my information, it has reached the Presidency but it hasn’t gotten to the President’s table yet. I’m sure by close of day today, it would have gotten to the President. The President has to look at it and then from there, he can then direct as to what has to be done,” he noted.
Meanwhile, workers of Neoplan Ghana Limited are still pleading with the government to come to their aid to prevent the shutdown of the firm.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, the Human Resource Manager for the firm, Veronica Asante Darko, cited the government’s immediate intervention as the only way to forestall the impending closure.
“For now, if we get any support from the government, either the 1D1F for now or any contract at all, we will not close down. We are actually in production, just that we don’t get contracts to produce in large quantities. That is to say that if we get a contract, we’ll be able to produce buses.”
She added that: “For now, we haven’t heard anything and no official has called us. We’re about 80 at Accra and Kumasi but because of the financial problems, we have ended the contracts of the casual workers but if we get contracts, we’ll call them back.”
Background
Neoplan Ghana Limited had earlier announced a total shutdown on Friday 31st January because it was not capable of working effectively due to continuous debts it kept incurring.
The Company has been struggling to stay afloat for the past decade following neglect by successive governments.
About Neoplan
The Neoplan (Ghana) Limited, a bus manufacturing company has been in existence since 1974.
Since its establishment, the Company has made history in producing over 4,000 buses for Government Institutions, Universities, Metro Mass Transit (MMT), GPRTU and Private Individuals/Companies.
The company according to analysts can employ over 1,000 workers when in full production.
Government of Ghana has 55% shares in the company and is the majority shareholder, and the remaining 45% is for a private company known as Fadoul Group.
But the company has been struggling in recent times.
The company in a memo to all staff in Accra and Kumasi cited the lack of contracts and recurring monthly losses as reasons for the shutdown.
The company said the last time it was given a government contract was in 2002, which ended in 2010 and saw the production of 450 DAF/VDL buses for the Metro Mass Transit Ltd.
