Zoomlion is unfit to continue as a company

The Ghanaian company Zoomlion is too exploitative to be good for a company. If I had my own way, I would ask for it to be disbanded, witnessing firsthand how it has been exploiting its employees to the hilt.

While on holiday in Kumawu for six weeks in the past two months, I had the chance to interview two of the company’s female operatives. They both told me they are paid two hundred and fifty Cedis (Ghc250.00) a month. Each one’s monthly salary or wages is Ghc250.00.

How can a worker in the current harsh economic situation in Ghana go to work every day of the weekday, even as a part-timer doing 3 to 4 hours a day, only to draw a wage or salary of Ghc250.00 a month?

What makes the matter worse or strange is, at the time of interrogating them on different days within the week, each told me they had not been paid their salary or wages for the past 14 months. It will be 16 months as at writing this publication if they have still not been paid.

Why should the owner or CEO of Zoomlion believe that they have inalienable right to continue using their workers on such meagre pay and without even paying them for months?

In Kumawu as I went to find it, and because of the extreme hot weather which was never so during my days there growing as a pupil and student, one must travel in “pragia”.

Going from say, Apebiakyere or Zongo to the Kumawu District Office at “quarters” to sign on for duty is quite a distance walk. If one goes there in “pragia” every working day, one will accrue more debt than their wage or salary which is yet to be paid for all these past 14 to 16 months.

I was further informed that their work is contracted on what is “finish and go” basis. They have each been allocated an area that they must clean every day and whenever you finish, you will have completed your day’s work to earn you your pay or wage for the day.

As read from somewhere and from the owner’s own mouth, the workers are on part-time contract doing 3 to 4 hours a day. If you do say three hours a day five days a week, why should you be paid only Ghc250.00 a month? Is it not an insult to the workers’ intelligence, let alone, not paying them for several months?

I had it in mind to write about it as soon as I arrived back in London but for a bit of procrastination, the usual thief of time, other people came before me to expose the rogue company.

How can the CEO of the company claim that the workers are on training and so are paid only allowances but not wages or salaries? What are they being trained in or for; how to sweep roads properly with industrial brooms?

The owners of the company are complete thieves, concluding from how they pay the workers only Ghc250.00 out of their signed contract of Ghc850.00, if I read the CEO right.

If one must travel to work, but not walk, how far can Ghc250.00 take them during the month where a finger of plantain is said to be currently selling for Ghc10.00 in Ghana?

My heart goes out to these hard-working Zoomlion operatives but who are just paid less than a third of their contracted salary/wages and sadly end up not receiving it at all.

For what Zoomlion owner and partners are doing to their workers, I can rightly boldly call them thieves without looking over my shoulder!. They are millionaires living in opulence while most of their workers are living in utter penury. Shame though.

Pay your workers now before I drag you further down the drain after taking you to the cleaners.