Some tollbooth operators have disclosed that they are suspended from work when they fail to meet their revenue targets.
According to a tollbooth operator, during a discussion on the cancellation of road tolls and its impact, a suspension is the least punishment one could get.
Speaking on the Anopa Bofoↄ breakfast show on Tuesday November 23, 2021, Ernest Antwi, a tollbooth operator, declared that they are given targets to meet and failure to reach that bench mark could land one into trouble.
He explained that each booth has a different target based on the number of clients they serve on a daily basis.
Though he did not reveal the stipulated amount, on a regular day, booths one and two attend to more vehicles thus, have a higher bench mark as opposed to the other booths which witness less activity.
He added that the targets are also dependent on the shift one is on.
We have three shifts starting from 6:30am to 1:30pm for morning, then afternoon takes over till 7:30pm and the night shift continues to 6:30am, with each person arriving 30 minutes to time before taking over.
When the host, Kofi Adoma Nwanwani asked him what happens when they exceed their target, Ernest Antwi replied that “it’s halleluiah for the ministry”.
He further debunked allegations that the personnel manning the booths steal from government.
For me, some of the drivers know me because I was a former Assembly member and so anytime they give out GHC5 or GHC10, they ask me to keep the change but we don’t take government’s money, he disclosed.
Madam Mariam Karim, another toll collector, supported Mr. Antwi’s stance saying that it is impossible to keep part of the toll revenue.
She argued that they issue receipts to drivers and at the close of day, the monies generated must tally with the receipts else one is made to pay for the shortfall.
Touching on their unemployment status, they pleaded with government to quickly reassign them since they have families depending on them.
Mariam Karim lamented that some of them have not been paid for two to six months.
We have written petitions to parliament and intend demonstrating very soon if nothing is done about our predicament.
Meanwhile tollbooth attendants at Amrahia-Dodowa road protested their ‘inconsiderate’ lay offs on Monday, November 22, 2021 while government still owes them three months salary arrears.
