GCAA Defends Security Move After GhATSEA Strike Threat | By Dominick Andoh
Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has rejected allegations of unfair labour practices, intimidation, coercion and victimisation levelled against the Authority and its Director-General, Rev. Stephen Wilfred Arthur, by the Ghana Air Traffic Safety Electronics Association (GhATSEA).
In a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the GCAA said the allegations were unfounded and maintained that its actions had been guided by its statutory responsibility to protect aviation safety, security and critical infrastructure.
The Authority said it referred GhATSEA’s most recent intended industrial action to the National Labour Commission (NLC), which ruled on January 14, 2026 that the proposed strike was illegal.
According to the GCAA, the NLC determined that GhATSEA, as an association rather than a certified trade union, lacked the legal capacity under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), to declare a strike or negotiate conditions of service. The Commission also found the strike notice procedurally defective and said the proposed action was prohibited under Regulations 20(e) and (h) of L.I. 1833.
The GCAA said the NLC subsequently directed GhATSEA to pursue its grievances through the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement and called for the intended strike to be withdrawn.
However, the Authority alleged that GhATSEA leadership nevertheless encouraged members to proceed with the action, including instructions not to attend to faults or touch equipment in Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) equipment rooms at Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Sunyani.
The GCAA said warnings that the safety of Ghana’s airspace could not be guaranteed created a serious aviation security and safety concern because of the critical role played by CNS infrastructure.
It said the deployment of national security personnel at its installations was therefore a necessary measure to protect critical aviation infrastructure and prevent what it described as an intended act of sabotage.
The Authority further said the presence of security personnel between 11:30 p.m. on January 14 and 4:30 a.m. on January 15 helped management foil an alleged attempted sabotage involving the GhATSEA president.
The GCAA maintained that disciplinary measures taken against employees who breach applicable rules cannot reasonably be characterised as intimidation, victimisation or unfair labour practices.
It reiterated its commitment to lawful employee representation, constructive dialogue and resolving workplace grievances through recognised mechanisms, while stressing that labour action must not compromise aviation safety.
