Local people attack "foreign" workers at Navrongo

Navrongo (UE), Sept 02, GNA- Construction workers engaged on the OLA Senior High School project at Gaane in Navrongo in the Kassena East District were on Tuesday threatened and beaten-up by locals because 93they have stolen their jobs".

Some of the community members are claiming that the contractors had brought in workers from outside the area to work instead of engaging them.

Mr. Awudu Ayamba, one of the contractors, who was physically beaten on Tuesday by two local men, is on admission at the Navrongo Hospital while his assailants are in police custody awaiting prosecution.

Mr. Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, who visited the site, to address the community, warned them that anybody who undermines the work of the contractors, scheduled to be completed by September 2011, would be made to face the full rigours of the law.

He told the community members to understand that works that required skilled labour like steel bending and carpentry among others, could not be given to people who lacked such skills.

The Regional Minister explained to them that majority of them had been given jobs in areas that did not require skilled labour because that is what they can do.

He appealed to the community members to cooperate with the contractors on site since they would benefit a lot from the project after its completion.

He indicated that some of the people would be engaged by the school as workers after it had been completed.

The Regional Minister asked them to channel their concerns and grievances through the Assemblyman for the area or use dialogue to resolve any issue with the Contractor.

The District Chief Executive for the area, Mr, Emmanuel Andema, who expressed shock about the incident, warned the community that development projects would elude them if they continued to engage the contractors in battle.

He said the Assembly had more development projects for the entire district and the Gaane area but the people would have to show interest and be of good behaviour in order to merit any such projects.