Workers of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) have appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to remove the Authority’s Director General, accusing him of failing to provide the leadership required to protect workers’ welfare and address growing concerns within the institution.
The workers made the demand during an industrial action in protest against what they described as poor management decisions, inadequate consultation and worsening conditions affecting their livelihoods.
Speaking during the protest, Local Union Chairman of the NLA, Eric Tamakloe, said the workers had lost confidence in the leadership of the Director General and believed his continued stay in office was no longer in the interest of employees.
According to him, the workers’ concerns were not limited to salary negotiations but extended to what he described as a broader failure of leadership and consultation.
Mr. Tamakloe said the union had made repeated efforts to engage management on workers’ welfare, salary adjustments and other conditions of service, but the engagements had failed to produce an outcome acceptable to the workers.
He accused the Director General of taking decisions affecting workers without adequate consultation with the union.
He said the union’s salary proposal was not properly considered before management communicated its own position to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, a development he described as unacceptable.
The workers also expressed concern over the impact of tax adjustments on their take-home pay, arguing that they should not be made to suffer financially because of administrative shortcomings in the computation and withholding of taxes.
Mr. Tamakloe said the situation had left many workers financially worse off and had heightened dissatisfaction within the Authority.
Workers Demand Presidential Intervention
The union chairman said the workers had therefore decided to take their concerns directly to the government, urging President Mahama to intervene and remove the Director General.
He said the workers believed a change in leadership was necessary to restore confidence, improve industrial relations and ensure that the Authority was managed in a manner that protects both its mandate and the welfare of its employees.
“We need leadership that listens to workers and engages them meaningfully,” Mr. Tamakloe said.
He stressed that the workers had exhausted several avenues for dialogue and negotiation before resorting to industrial action.
According to him, the union remained committed to dialogue but could not continue to accept what it considers unilateral decisions by management on matters directly affecting workers.
The workers also questioned aspects of the Authority’s financial management, particularly the handling and presentation of its various revenue streams during discussions aimed at resolving the salary dispute.
They argued that the Authority’s financial position should be transparently presented so that all parties could properly assess its capacity to improve workers’ conditions.
Mr. Tamakloe said the workers were not demanding preferential treatment but fairness, transparency and responsible leadership.
He appealed to President Mahama and the relevant government institutions to urgently intervene before the dispute escalates further.
The workers maintained that their action was aimed at protecting their livelihoods and drawing attention to what they consider serious leadership and management challenges at the NLA.
They called on the President to act decisively by replacing the Director General and appointing leadership capable of restoring trust between management and workers and repositioning the Authority for improved performance.
