Malcom Asamoah, the Founder and CEO of Workers Fund, is gearing up for a hunger strike protest at the Ministry of Finance.
Mr. Asamoah’s action comes in response to the alleged non-payment of salaries owed members of the organization by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) for September, October, and November 2023.
In a letter sighted by happyghana.com and addressed to the police, Asamoah outlined the details of the planned hunger strike protest. The protest is scheduled to take place at the premises of the Ministry of Finance in Accra from December 27 to December 29, 2023 and then resume on January 3, 2024, until their demands are met.
“The purpose of the protest is to press government, specifically the Ministry of Finance, to urgently release all outstanding monies owed to the Workers Fund,” the letter read.
Mr. Asamoah claims CAGD has not disbursed funds deducted from the salaries of their members for the aforementioned months.
The letter indicates that the hunger strike will be a solo demonstration led by Asamoah himself, and it is expected to run from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm each day. The protest is anticipated to involve up to 10 participants.
However, in response to Asamoah’s letter, the Regional Commander of the Ghana Police Service expressed their inability to provide security for the intended protest during the specified period.
The police cited operational and security constraints, particularly during the Christmas and New Year festivities, as the reason for their inability to offer protection.
The police also requested Mr.Asamoah to consider postponing the protest to any date after January 5, 2024, to ensure public defence, order, and safety per the Public Order Act.
Mr. Asamoah affirmed his choice not to alter the protest dates in a follow-up letter. He clarified that the days selected were not public holidays but rather typical business days. He underlined that an extensive police presence was not necessary for the demonstration because it was a single-person hunger strike.
Despite the police’s request to postpone the protest, Malcom Asamoah, the Founder and CEO of the Workers Fund seems determined to proceed as planned.
