YEA sanitation model beneficiaries protest salary arrears

3 News

Thu 08th Aug, 2024 20:18

Beneficiaries of the Sanitation model of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) engaged by waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited have staged a protest in Kumasi over salary arrears.

The angry workers lamented that the non-payment of the 20 months outstanding salaries is taking a toll on their living conditions, coupled with the prevailing economic hardship.

The workers, mostly women, who earn GHC250 monthly to sweep streets, markets and the Central Business District have warned to stay off work if government fails to clear the arrears within a week.

“We’ve worked and deserve to be paid. YEA has taken some of us for granted for a long time. How do they expect us to survive without pay for more than a year? This is injustice”, Mary Kyeremaah fumed.

The cleaners questioned why their meager salary always delays when those in charge of paying them receive their monthly salary promptly.

“We are paid GHC250 a month. When we deduct transportation alone, some of us are likely to even run at a loss. And can you imagine its almost 20 months since some of us received a penny for the work we’ve been doing. Why is government treating us unfairly?, an aggrieved worker, Rita Sapard asked for answers.

Responding to the call of the sanitation workers, the YEA Coordinator for Ashanti Region, Seth Twumasi said discussions are ongoing to clear the arrears.

“Although we recruited them, the YEA does not pay the sanitation module beneficiaries directly from its coffers. Government’s contract with Zoomlion is for the waste management company to pre-finance the payment of the beneficiaries and be reimbursed later. But we are working to ensure the continuous delay in paying the cleaners is resolved,” he assured.

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