Zoomlion workers on rampage

Hundreds of workers of the waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, under the GYEEDA programme on Monday thronged the Adweso offices of the company over their unpaid allowances.

The workers lamented over the hardships they had gone through in the past four months due to the non-payment of their allowances.

Some said they arrived at the premises as early as 7:00am and were asked to wait till 3:00pm when someone from Accra would arrive with a month’s allowance for each of them.

However, as at 3:40pm, there was no sign of the said person coming. Officers in the office claimed they did not have the mandate to talk to the media.

However, the rampaging workers who had vowed to take their allowances before leaving the premises spoke with DAILY GUIDE.

Kofi Mensah, a 40-year-old father of three said he is a resident of Asokore and has been working with the company for the past seven years. He said they have not received their allowances for the past four months.

They were asked to come for a month’s allowance of GH¢100 but the money has not been forthcoming. He lamented that he had not been able to send his children to school since school resumed.

Kwadwo Boateng, 36, has also worked with Zoomlion for seven years. He is a father of six. According to him, for the past four years during late President Atta Mills’ tenure, their allowance was increased from GH¢50 to GH¢100, but there had not been any increment ever since.

He said that he reports to duty by 3:30am, adding that no SSNIT contribution is made for him and his colleagues, they did not enjoy any health insurance or risk allowance, yet the minute allowance had also been withheld for four good months. He said he had not been able to pay his children’s school fees.

He explained that he had to even borrow money from friends and relations to make ends meet, stressing that an amount of GH¢6 is deducted from their allowance as bank charges.

Mavis Tei, 35, said her two children are in the house even though school has opened and her landlord is also ejecting her for nonpayment of rent. She has been with Zoomlion for four years.

Charlotte Asare, 40, has two children and has been working with the company for five years.

Denteh Omar, 40, said he is not married because his job does not give him enough.

He has no child as well but the GH¢100 is never enough to take care of his needs.

Meanwhile, at the time of filing this report the officers had barely begun sharing the one month allowance promise to some of the aggrieved workers.

The Regional Manager, Ernest Kusi, confirmed to the media that four months now their workers under the Gyeeda programme’s allowance had been withheld due to the ongoing GYEEDA problems.

His outfit is, however, managing the situation and was going to settle one month’s allowance for now.

He explained that Zoomlion only managed the youth in sanitation aspect of the programme but it is government that does the payment so he is unable to state when the balance of three months would be paid.

While payment was still ongoing a rainstorm begun but that could not send them away because they were resolved to take their money before leaving.