Unionized workers of the ARB Apex Bank are impressing on the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to immediately address what they describe as the prolonged and unjustified delay in confirming the contract of the Bank’s Managing Director, Alex Kwasi Awuah.
The workers warn that the uncertainty surrounding the MD’s employment status is undermining confidence, affecting institutional stability, and risking disruptions within the rural banking ecosystem.
This follows months of anxiety and frustration among staff over the central bank’s silence on the matter, despite what they say is the MD’s satisfactory performance and the strategic importance of the office to the operations of Rural and Community Banks (RCBs) nationwide.
According to the workers, the delay has created “growing concerns” within the Bank, raising questions about governance clarity at a time when the rural banking subsector is undergoing regulatory tightening and liquidity pressures.
In a resolution addressed to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana and sighted by Citi Business News, the unionised workers demand an immediate communication of BoG’s decision on the contract confirmation.
“We express our deep concern over the undue delay by the Bank of Ghana in issuing the “No Objection” letter for the renewal of the Managing Director’s contract. This delay has created uncertainty, anxiety and unease within the Bank and the wider RCB fraternity”, portions of the resolution read.
The resolution, signed by the General Secretary of the Union of Industry, Commerce and Finance Workers (UNICOF), Euclid Kofi Ohemeng, urges the Governor to act swiftly to avert further unease.
The workers maintain that the prudential role of ARB Apex Bank including settlement, clearing, liquidity support and IT infrastructure for RCBs makes stable leadership crucial.
They caution that any prolonged leadership vacuum could have ripple effects on the country’s rural financial system.
“We respectfully request a response from the governor within seven days of receipt of this resolution. In the absence of a response, the Union will review and consider lawful industrial action, necessary to uphold the bank’s govern framework and institutional stability.”
The resolution, copied to the Board of ARB Apex Bank, CEOs of Rural and Community Banks, the TUC, National Labour Commission and other regulatory stakeholders, also signalled the workers’ readiness for further engagement should the central bank require additional dialogue.
