Zoomlion staff in Tamale down tools

Workers employed under the National Youth Employment Programme's sanitation module and working with Zoomlion, the sanitation company, are on strike in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern Region protesting meager allowances.

The workers said their employment conditions are not the best and until they are improved, they do not intend to return to work.

A spokesperson of the group told Joy News correspondent, Mahama Shaibu that while the meager allowances they are paid can hardly see them through the month, promises by their employers, including regularizing their employment under the Ministry of Health, and paying their social security contributions, have not been fulfilled.

But a communications director of Zoomlion, Oscar Provencal, told Joy News it is the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment that is responsible for fixing the workers' allowances.

He agreed that some of the demands of the striking workers, including the low remuneration, were well-placed and should receive attention at the Ministry.

“Zoomlion is not responsible for the pegging of the allowances of the workers. These are workers under the National Youth Employment Programme and their allowances are pegged by the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment. Zoomlion has absolutely nothing to do with pegging those allowances. We believe that their concerns will be taken up but at the end of the day, it is up to the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment to raise those allowances.”

Provencal said even though the workers are paid through Zoomlion, they are paid through their bank accounts.

“You also need to take into consideration that these workers are not really working eight-hours shift… but yes, we cannot on our own say that the allowances are low, I think that definitely they need to be reviewed one way or the other and I think that those concerns will be taken up with the Ministry and I'm sure that some of these issues are on the table as we speak.”

Story by Isaac Yeboah