Mr Kofi Frimpong, General Secretary of the Union with some of the aggrieved lotto receivers
The impasse between the National Lotto Authority (NLA) and Lotto Receivers Union continues unabated, as the latter has threatened to hit the streets of Accra again over the cut in their commissions.
Today members of the Ghana Lotto Receivers Union would embark on a demonstration to press home their demand for the restoration of their commissions.
For the past six months, the lotto sellers have been fighting the NLA over its decision to reduce their commissions from 25 per cent to 20 per cent.
It would be recalled that the NLA announced plans to review downwards the commissions it pays to over 8,000 lotto receives nationwide at the beginning of this year.
The announcement, which generated uproar, especially among the lotto sellers, was followed by several attempts by the lotto receivers to get the NLA to rescind its decision to cut their commissions.
Series of meetings held between the lotto receivers and the management of the NLA, as well as interventions by some independent bodies and individuals have yielded no positive results.
Even a proposal from the leadership of the lotto receivers union, which gave a breakdown of their expenditure and why a reduction in their commissions would affect their business, did not resolve the matter.
The lotto sellers embarked on series of strike actions and even dragged the NLA to court to restrain the Authority from reducing their commissions.
In April, after a court ruling in favour of the NLA, the Lotto Receivers were paid five per cent less in their commissions.
Today’s strike would be the third time members of the union would be closing their kiosks across the country but the first time in the year that the lotto receivers would be demonstrating in the streets.
Kofi Frimpong, General Secretary of the Union told CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE that the union has realized that avenues to seek redress have hit a dead end, stressing that this time their members are resolved to seek justice.
He said the reduction in their commissions is a deliberate attempt to kick them out of business, explaining that their workers would be laid off and these people have dependents.”
The lotto sellers in the Greater Accra region, he said, would be joined by others from the regions at the Independence Square in Accra.
They would then march to the Castle, Osu to present a petition and then proceed to Parliament House where they would deliver a copy of their petition and end the protest at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
Since 1962, lotto receivers have pre-financed the operations of the NLA, formerly known as Department of National Lotteries (DNL).
Every week, lotto sellers pre-finance NLA operations to a tune of over GH¢50,000.
By Emelia Ennin Abbey