Members of the Kojokrom branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) have refused to pay parking tolls to the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) over non-payment of royalties to the union.
Speaking on Skyy Power FM’s Jolly Breakfast Show today, Mr Moses K. Mensah, Chairman of the Kojokrom Lorry Park said, the union is entitled to 10% of the parking tolls collected from commercial drivers by STMA but it has been six years since the assembly released the funds to the union.
According to them, the fund is what is used to maintain and renovate the lorry parks but all efforts to get the funds released from the assembly have proven futile hence their refusal to pay the parking tolls.
He said, “We are following this up after 6 years because there was no unity among the executives of the GPRTU at Kojokrom lorry park but we are now united and looking for what we deserve, it seems we are being shortchanged.”
“There are so many challenges at the lorry park, the entrance is in a deplorable state, there is no electricity and since the assembly is not fixing and doing their rightful duties, they should start paying us our rightful 10% royalties every month to fix this situation.”
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) for STMA Mr John Laste responding to their statement said the assembly does not have any contract with the Kojokrom lorry station hence they are not entitled to any royalties, lorry stations that are entitled to royalties are stations that the assembly has contract with due to the land ownership.
“We have two different ways of managing a lorry terminal, if the assembly declares a place as a terminal, it’s either that terminal belongs to the transport operator or the terminal belongs to the assembly.”
“The assembly pays royalties to transport operators when there is an agreement between the assembly and the transport operator.”
“There is no agreement between the assembly and the transport operator at the Kojokrom lorry park to manage the park hence there is no reason for the assembly to pay them royalties, the management of the park is the responsibility of the assembly.”
“We don’t have any contract with them so on what basis are they requesting royalties from us, they don’t own that terminal,” he said.
