Nana Yaa Jantuah is still PURC staff – Board tells ‘unruly’ workers

The governing board of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) says Ms. Nana Yaa Jantuah is still a staff of the Commission despite her resignation in May this year. Ms. Jantuah who is the Director of Public Relations of PURC in May 2017 resigned her post in the midst of corruption allegations against some top officials of the Commission.

Resigned but on leave According to the board, though she has resigned, she remains a staff of the Commission until November 15. She is currently enjoying “her accumulated leave,” a statement issued by the Commission Friday said. The board consequently justified Ms. Jantuah’s return to PURC headquarters on Wednesday, which triggered a sit down strike by the workers on Thursday in Accra and some parts of the country. Staff at the head office and those in Kumasi said they were resisting a decision to reinstate Ms. Jantuah as the Director of Public Relations. Handing over meeting The board explained in the statement that Ms. Jantuah’s presence in the head office was purely for handing over purposes and has nothing whatsoever to do with her possible reinstatement. “In July 2017 in anticipation of the impending departure of the Director of Public Relations and External Affairs, a new manager…was recruited. This gentleman assumed duty September 4,2017. “As part of the handing over/taking over processes, a meeting was called with the new M-PREA and the outgoing D-PREA in attendance to discuss administrative process that will ensure smooth handover of duties and responsibilities from the outgoing director to the incoming manager,” the statement said. Unruly activities The board said it was however surprised at the “unruly activities by the Union led by Alhaji Abubakar Jabaru [which] culminated in locking up the head office and also other regional offices of PURC on Thursday”. In view of the facts, the board questioned the justification for the action by the staff, which it said, denied some Ghanaians regulatory services. “The governing board of the PURC deemed it very regrettable the unruly activities, coupled with the unsubstantiated, unproven and potentially libellous pronouncements orchestrated by the Union of PURC,” it said. It said the action by the Union is a potential “criminal actions” but did not say whether sanctions would be applied against those involved in the action. By Stephen Kwabena Effah|editors.3news.com|Ghana Follow @steviekgh_TV3