The National Labour Commission (NLC) has directed workers of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to suspend their ongoing strike, initiated on Tuesday, 12 November 2024, in opposition to the National Roads Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1118).

The Act seeks to merge the GHA with the Department of Urban Roads and the Department of Feeder Roads, a move workers argue would erode the Authority’s autonomy and introduce bureaucratic delays.

At the centre of the workers' demands is the removal of two top officials: Ing. I.K. Mensah, Chairman of the GHA Board, and Ing. Collins B. Donkor, Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed National Roads Authority (NRA).

Workers allege that these officials have supported decisions that could undermine the integrity of Ghana’s road infrastructure sector.

The strike action follows a formal petition to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, where GHA workers called for extensive consultations before the new Act’s implementation.

The workers argue that without proper stakeholder engagement, the merger could lead to inefficiency and disrupt the sector's stability.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the NLC ordered the suspension of the strike, highlighting procedural issues under the Labour Act, 2023 (Act 651).

According to the NLC, the GHA workers had not adhered to the lawful steps required before embarking on industrial action.

“The respondents, Ghana Highway Authority, Senior Staff Association, and the Divisional Union of Construction and Building Materials Workers Union of GHA (CBMWU-TUC), are to follow the due process,” the Commission stated.

The NLC further directed: “Whilst waiting for respondents to follow the due process, they must suspend any and/or all intended industrial action.”

Following caucus sessions with both parties, the NLC reaffirmed the importance of dialogue to address the workers’ concerns while allowing operations to continue uninterrupted.