The Greater Accra Regional Director of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Freeman Kumashie, has described as illegal and unconstitutional the strike action embarked upon by some commercial bus drivers in the country yesterday.
According to DSP Kumashie, the drivers’ action was against the Public Order Act which stipulates that any group of people or individual, who intends to embark on a strike action, has to notify the police within five clear working days.
DSP Kumashie said in the case of the drivers, they failed to comply with the Act, and this has led to the arrest of a number of them across the capital, and they will be made to face the full rigours of the law which may lead to prison sentences, fines or pardon.
“They may have genuine concerns, but if you fail to follow the rules and regulations governing the laws of the land in addressing your concerns, you may end up infringing on other people’s rights,” he said.
The strike by commercial drivers yesterday affected many activities in the city. Many passengers were seen in long queues waiting for vehicles to convey them to their various work places, while those who could afford it, boarded taxis. Many were those who had to trek miles to their work places.
The drivers complained they were being frustrated on a daily basis by activities of the Ghana Police Service and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
Speaking to the DAILY HERITAGE, Kofi Asare, a driver who plies the Circle –Teshie-Nungua and Tema route, said the DVLA was calling for the renewal of drivers’ licenses, which required the drivers to fill information on a computer, a situation they strongly objected to.
Mr. Asare explained that most of the drivers were illiterate and could not read and write, so forcing them to fill forms on a computer before renewing their licenses simply meant denying them their livelihood.
He said currently, the DVLA in addition to renewing licenses is requesting that all commercial vehicles should have their number plates renewed at a fee of GH¢150.00.
“It is surprising that the police often arrest drivers, charging them with using fake road worthy stickers issued by DVLA, the only body mandated to do so”, Mr. Asare lamented.
Others, including a porter at the Circle – Kasoa Overhead station, Sammy Adams, wondered how possible it is to have a seat belt on every seat of the “trotro” to get every passenger to use it.
Mr. Adams said drivers have nobody to complain to anytime they face difficulty on the road in the hands of police officers who behave unprofessionally.
Scores of passengers the paper spoke to expressed their frustrations of having to walk more than halve a mile or more before they could access a vehicle to their various destinations. Most offices the paper visited yesterday morning were virtually empty.
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