Okada Legislation: Consider non-unionized operators – Safety consultant tells Transport Ministry 

The Managing Director of Gibson Safety Consult, Harrison Gibson has entreated the Ministry of Transport to consider the inclusion of non-unionized commercial operators of motorcycle and tricycle as part of the proposed amendment to the Road Traffic Regulation 2012.

According to him, the legislative instrument should be drafted in a manner that is inclusive of all players in the defined sector.

The draft regulation requires that an operator of a commercial motorcycle or tricycle be employed by or associated with a licensed commercial motorcycle or tricycle transport union. However, Gibson argues that it may be impractical to find operators of such businesses in remote communities and some rural areas.

In that sense he suggests that the Transport Ministry reconsiders that provision and engages extensively such that the law does not discriminate against such operators.

“Are we only considering urban areas or rural communities are included? If they are, then we must take a relook at this provision. My village for instance, does not have a company for such business. We are talking about persons who have toiled to raise money to buy this cycle so they can earn something. If care is not taken, only a few would qualify for this licensing, and that would be a recipe for chaos,” he told Orekodo Kasaebo, Connect FM’s midday news, in Takoradi.

Gibson charged the Transport Ministry to consult with all classes of persons operating in that sector and with all other relevant stakeholders to better understand how to regulate it.

Operators Lament Age Eligibility for Licensing

Some riders in Sekondi Takoradi have vented their frustration with the age eligibility criteria for licensing under the proposed amendment. A provision of the proposed legislative instrument sets the minimum age for licensing at 25 years.

But this does not seem to sit well with operators in that space. They argue that the age criterion is discriminatory and at variance with Ghana’s labour laws.

“Some of us are 20 years old and have families to feed. Okada work puts food on our tables and helped us care for our loved ones. Setting the minimum age at 25 could push many of us out of work and increase the rate of unemployment,” one Okada rider argued.

“When it comes to election, you include persons of 18 years, and yet you want to exclude them from such an opportunity? This is unfair,” another rider stated.

By: Abraham Mensah

The post Okada Legislation: Consider non-unionized operators – Safety consultant tells Transport Ministry  first appeared on 3News.

Read Full Story