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Transport Minister, Alhaji Colins Dauda, has explained that no protocol list was submitted by his ministry to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) before 140 security persons were recruited into the organisation. He also denied the suggestion that majority of the 140 recruited security persons were from the constituency of the Chairman of the Board of GHPA. The minister, who was answering questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) when he appeared before the House Tuesday, stressed that the recruitment exercise followed laid down procedures. The MP for Takoradi, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, had asked the minister about persons recruited into the GPHA security and the procedures followed in the recruitment. Alhaji Dauda explained that the recruitment exercise followed the procedure of previous recruitment exercises whereby workers of the authority, as well as outsiders who qualified, were allowed to apply. He said in all 1209 applications were received out which140 were recruited as security persons for the company. He said the only departure from the previous recruitment exercise was that people who heard of the recruitment later and presented themselves at the sports stadium for physical examination were allowed to take part and some were successful. Alhaji Dauda said the policy of the ministry was not also to employ more men than women and explained that it was unfortunate that only eleven women were able to make it. The minister also answered parliamentarians� question on the relationship between workers of the Ghana Airport Company and their management. Mr Stephen Kwaku Balado Manu, MP for Ahafo-Ano South, wanted to know what led to the recent past demonstrations by workers of the company at the Kotoka International Airport. Alhaji Dauda said what happened was an agitation by the union of the company for better service conditions and increment in their salaries but the workers refused to accept the five per cent pay increase. He said the management referred the impasse to the Board which also referred the matter to the Labour Commission where the matter was resolved with a 12 per cent pay increase and that ended the agitation. A section of the MPs said the minister�s use of the word agitation was wrong because if workers negotiated for their rights under the collective agreement it was wrong to label their negotiations as agitation, since agitation connoted some negativity and was always accompanied by vigorous campaigning. Some MPs also were not happy that the Board of the Airport Company should bypass the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and present their case to the Labour Commission which was against laid down channels of redressing grievances. The House apart from asking the Minister of Transport questions also deliberated on a number of businesses laid before the House.