Sweepers and tricycle waste collection operators working for the waste management company Zoomlion in Koforidua have been on strike for over two weeks due to unpaid salaries.
The Zooomlion workers working under the Sanitation Model of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA). The YEA recruits them but they are supervised by Zoomlion to sweep.
This contract has been running since 2006 when the National Youth Employment Programme was first initiated .
According to the Fourth Estate’s investigation, government allocates GH₵ 600 to each sweeper. Out of this, GH₵ 180 goes to the sweeper and GH₵ 420 to Zoomlion as logistics and management fee monthly.
This means, out of the GH₵7,200 allocated to each sweeper annually, they receive GH₵2,160, while the lion’s share of GH₵5,040 goes to Zoomlion.
The amount allocated to the beneficiary used to be GH₵500, out of which GH₵ 100 went to the beneficiaries and GH₵400 went to Zoomlion. The review in the allocation happened about two years ago.
But the Auditor-General’s report on 2020 Management and Utilization of the District Assemblies Common Fund and other Statutory Funds said this was done without any documented approval.
In spite of the salary disparities, sweepers salaries have not been paid for many months hence the strike.
The strike has led to a significant accumulation of waste across the New Juaben South Municipality, raising concerns among residents.
For weeks, filth has engulfed the town, prompting widespread complains about the deteriorating sanitary conditions.
According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, the Municipality has a population of 125,256, with 60,567 males and 64,689 females.
The municipality also generates the highest amount of solid waste in the Eastern Region.
The ongoing strike has left much of this waste uncollected, forcing the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly to deploy its sanitation officers and cleaners to collect heaps of solid waste scattered on the streets to prevent a potential disease outbreak.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, has expressed concern over the insufficient number of waste collection containers in the Municipality.
He has urged Zoomlion to provide more waste containers in various communities to address the problem.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
