TUC threatens to join Ghana Railway Workers’ strike on Tuesday

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has announced plans to join workers of the Ghana Railways Company in a nationwide strike scheduled for September 30, 2025, over unpaid salaries.

The workers, who have not received their wages for the past 12 months, say they can no longer endure the hardship caused by the delay.

According to the TUC, several efforts to get the government to settle the arrears have yielded no results. The union explained that letters and engagements with government officials at the highest level have failed to secure any payments, leaving employees of the state-owned company struggling to survive.

Speaking at a press conference, Secretary-General of the TUC, Joshua Ansah, revealed that the Ghana Railways Company is on the verge of collapse due to deteriorating infrastructure and the loss of haulage business. He added that the government’s withdrawal of support for the company was deeply troubling, especially considering the essential role railways play in economic development.

The TUC has therefore called on the government to urgently pay the salaries and commit to reviving the railway sector. It argued that in advanced cities such as London and New York, daily life would come to a standstill without functioning railways, stressing the need for Ghana to prioritize investment in the industry.

TUC cautioned the Ministry of Transport and the Ghana Railway Development Authority against any attempt to run the country’s railways without the Ghana Railways Company Limited. It vowed to resist moves that undermine the operator, insisting that only a properly supported company can ensure the survival and growth of Ghana’s railway sector.

However, Ghana welcomed more than 901,000 international visitors between October 2022 and September 2023, with their spending injecting an estimated GH¢15.42 billion into the economy.

The figures are from the Ghana Statistical Service’s (GSS) first-ever Ghana International Travellers’ Survey (GITS), which sets a baseline for measuring tourism’s impact on the national economy.

The survey made a key distinction between overnight and same-day visitors. Out of the total, 888,584 were overnight guests, who contributed a massive GH¢15.18 billion. Same-day visitors numbered just 12,864, but still added about GH¢24 million; a segment the report said had been largely ignored until now.