Workers of the Ghana Railway Company Limited are demanding immediate government intervention over worsening working conditions, prolonged salary arrears, and uncertainty surrounding the future of the company.

At a press conference, the workers described the state of the railway sector as alarming, warning that years of neglect have pushed the company into deep operational and financial distress.

According to the workers, the decline of the company began after government subventions used to procure spare parts and other operational inputs were withdrawn.

They explained that the lack of funding forced the company to rely on improvised parts and temporary measures to keep operations running, worsening the deterioration of railway infrastructure and equipment.

The workers said the situation exposed employees to unsafe working conditions, with staff compelled to operate defective machinery and equipment in hazardous environments.

They also noted that several attempts by successive governments to revive the railway sector failed because the interventions were not comprehensive enough to restore operations.

Among the challenges cited were defective railway signals, improvised braking systems, obsolete cranes, lack of operational tools and protective equipment, as well as the impact of illegal mining activities on portions of railway tracks.

The workers further argued that the growing use of road haulage services for transporting bulk commodities such as bauxite and manganese has created what they described as “unfair competition” for the railway sector.

According to them, while road transport operators are not directly responsible for maintaining roads, the railway company is expected to maintain tracks, bridges, and culverts while competing with private haulage operators.

The workers also accused the Ghana Railway Development Authority of operating railway services contrary to Section 98 of the Railways Act, 2008 (Act 779), which bars the Authority from managing railway operations.

They claimed the GRDA is currently operating the Sekondi-Takoradi shuttle service through Kojokrom using selected staff of the railway company.

The workers further alleged that salaries had remained unpaid for several months, causing severe hardship among staff.

According to them, portions of the arrears were later paid after the reported sale of railway assets, including coaches, rails, locomotives, and machinery.

They alleged that proceeds from the sale amounted to GH¢21.6 million, which they claim could have cleared several months of salary arrears owed to workers.

The workers said the delay in salary payments has left many employees struggling to service loans and overdrafts due to accumulated deductions and interest charges.

They added that the delays have also affected SSNIT and Tier 2 pension contributions.

The workers are therefore demanding the immediate payment of all outstanding salary arrears and pension deductions.

They are also calling on the government to clarify the future of the Ghana Railway Company Limited and the fate of more than 800 workers.

Additionally, they want the Ghana Railway Development Authority to stop operating railway services and hand over operations to the railway company.

The workers stressed that the railway sector remains a strategic national asset critical to Ghana’s economic transformation.

They warned that the continued neglect of the railway sector could further undermine Ghana’s transport and industrialisation agenda.