Tension at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, GNPC continues to mount, even after the Corporation had issues a statement purported to defuse the pressure on the Ag, CEO for his style of managing the institution upon assumption of office.
The Senior Staff Union (SSU) of GNPC, last week issued a statement to express its unflinching support to the under-fire CEO, Mr. O-A Danquah.
According to the statement “The Executive body of the Senior Staff Union wishes to state on record that we have not received any complaint or grievance whatsoever from any person or group regarding the conduct of our Chief Executive. Indeed, there is currently industrial harmony, and the prevailing atmosphere in the Corporation is one of calmness.”
It added that, “Mr. Danquah has brought on board some positive energy to the operations of GNPC and is determinedly steering the corporation in the right direction. There is indeed a general sense of hope and great expectations amongst staff”.
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“Contrary to false reports that the CEO has provided misleading information about the finances of GNPC and unprofessional conduct, Mr. Danquah since taking over as CEO has actively instituted cost-saving measures and improved capacity building for staff in key areas to upgrade their knowledge and competencies to help GNPC execute its mandate as the National Oil Company of Ghana”, the SSU statement pointed out. Adding that, “To effectively utilize the skill sets of staff and diversify their knowledge base, Mr. Danquah has made cross-functional movements consistent with industry practice as well as GNPC’s Corporate Plan in compliance with the Conditions of Service, after obtaining Board approval.
These movements are aimed at energizing the corporation to respond to current global trends in the oil and gas industry”. The Statement concluded that, “To enhance team bonding, unity, and camaraderie, he is enabling an environment through consistent staff engagement, especially with the Senior Executive Committee (ExCom), where there is open discourse for corporate advancement.
The management of GNPC and Staff assures the general public and all stakeholders that it is unwaveringly focused on its ultimate goal of increasing oil and gas reserves for the country and profoundly impacting the livelihoods of all Ghanaians”. But this statement has angered a group of staff members who see it as a cooked and hushed release aimed at covering up the lapses of the CEO. Signed by the The Concerned Staff of GNPC, the group has issued a reply to the SSU statement emphasizing that there is tension at the corporation because of the attitude and working style of its CEO.
According to the statement, headlined, “RE: GNPC STAFF STRONGLY SUPPORTS ITS CEO AMID FALSE FACELESS ATTACKS” the group states that” We read with utmost shock and dismay the statement released by the Senior Staff Association (SSA) of GNPC under duress and widely published on various news portals on the above headline”.
It adds that “We wish to respond as follows:
- The SSA is not the sole mouthpiece of GNPC staff and cannot speak on behalf of all staff. It must be noted that the SSA membership has been clearly defined with Deputy Managers as the cut off level. There are other junior staff who do not belong to the SSA.
- The SSA in their statement also denied any receipt of a complaint or grievance.
While this is true, the Concerned staff are not obliged to register their concerns through the SSA who have been too silent and to somewhat compromised to take any meaningful action regarding the erratic behaviour of the Ag. CEO.
- It is unfortunate that the SSA sees the petition from the concerned staff as unprofessional conduct. We wish to state that their failure to call Mr Danquah to order which has created a heavy culture of silence in the Corporation is the reason why well-meaning staff have resorted to registering their displeasure anonymously.
- The SSA Executives are very much aware of the tension in the corridors of the Corporation as a result of the unprofessional manner in which the CEO in meetings literally goes punch to punch with senior management. They are aware of the seemingly lack of motivation, idleness and the multiple layers of bureaucracy that has almost brought operations in the Corporation to a halt.
- Whiles the SSA makes reference to the Conditions of Service in addressing grievances, it failed to address the “career disruption and destruction” transfers being undertaken by the Ag. CEO against the Corporation’s HR policy.
The statement stressed that, “We wish to state that the said petition emanated from staff of the Corporation and duly distributed to the Board” “We call on the relevant authorities (Minister of Energy, Minister of National Security, the GNPC Board, etc.) to conduct covert operations to ascertain the veracity of the claims made in the petition and ignore the attempt by the SSA to cover up for the tyrannical management of the Ag. CEO”.
