Enumerators of the 2021 population and housing census in Asamankese in West Akyem Municipality in the Eastern Region are demanding dog bite risk allowance and insurance packages.
According to the enumerators, they risk being attacked by dogs and other reptiles in homes and remote villages where they will be operating therefore demanding that they are insured against any eventuality.
A petition addressed to the National Census Officer by enumerators in West Akyem Municipality, made the following demands; “transportation for the training should be Ghc440.00 as earlier announced instead of Ghc330.00We should be paid an allowance of the training or per diem of at least Ghc80 per day which will be ghc800.00 for 10 days. Allowance for Enumerators should be increased from Ghc2, 520.00 to Ghc3,000.00 and Ghc2,9 40.00 to Ghc3,500.00 for supervisors respectively. There should be a risk and insurance component added to the remuneration because a dog nearly attacked a participant”
“It is more than surprising to sit for 12 hours each day without any allowance. We would have been if we were at our respective job posts”
The petition ended that trainees at Asamankese Senior High School Center 1&2 resolved to boycott the entire exercise if their demands are not met.
Meanwhile, Enumerators of the 2021 population and housing census in New Juaben South Municipality undergoing ten days training program which started from Monday, 31st May 2021 are also agitating over a slash in transportation allowance promised them.
According to the enumerators, they were initially promised Ghc550 for transportation at the end of the training but the amount was reduced to Ghc440 and subsequently Ghc330.
This has sparked serious concerns with many threatening to boycott the entire census for fear of being short-changed.
However, the Eastern Regional Director of Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) Bright Worlanyo Neku has urged agitating Field data collection officers to remain calm explaining that the mishap was a result of miscommunication.
“Their T&T in contention now, we promised to give them Ghc500 but later on they’ve heard that we slashed it to Ghc440 then now going down to Ghc330 so because of those things they want to boycott the program. When I went there I met the facilitators, we discussed the issues, so I explained to the facilitators that this is the situation”.
He added “the first thing I did was that, during the opening address, the address was sent from Accra from the Chief Executive which was read to them, in that opening address, it was stated that they will pay them GHS440 for ten days. So where they got that Ghc50 (per day) from I don’t. It was that document that the Ghc440 was quoted. But later, we had another communiqué that the Ghc440 was a mistake so it is now going to be Ghc30 for their T&T per day “He told the media in Koforidua.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
