Telcos To Lay Off Workers Over �Dumsor�

Telecommunication companies in the country may soon be compelled to lay off workers if the current power crises persist.

This, according to the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, was due to the increasing cost of doing business.

Government is expected to receive the first power barge which will reduce the impact of the crisis on businesses in September.

Labour estimates that about 50,000 Ghanaian workers will lose their jobs by August if nothing changes about the current energy situation.

It has already been reported that about 13,000 workers have lost their jobs in the last four months due to the energy crisis.

Several companies, including health facilities, say they have been adversely affected by the power crisis.

Speaking on Accra based radio station, Citi FM, the Chief Executive Officer of the Telecommunications Chamber, Kweku Sakyi Addo, said the situation was worsening and companies may be forced to lay off workers to cut cost.

According to him, telecommunication companies in the country are currently going through tough times due to the erratic power situation.

“Telcom industries are also straining under the current power situation. The towers, cell-sites run on electricity, you’ve got to find the money from somewhere because these outages if it gets worse and worse, it’s burning your pockets. So the resources are going to be found from somewhere to do this. It could even mean the reduction of headcount that is, jobs could be lost because the money has to come from somewhere,” he said.