Kofi Adams condemns mass transfers at YEA

The National Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams, has described the mass transfer of workers of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) as a “punishment” and a way of creating unemployment for the youth of Ghana.

“The transfers at the districts and zonal areas are punishment to the workers, knowing well that they cannot move to these places, there would be vacancies at these places for them [NPP] to fix their own people there,” Mr. Adams alleged. Kofi Adams questioned the basis of moving YEA workers from one region to another, saying the government has failed on its promise of creating jobs for the youth so the transfer will compel most of them to abandon the job and then they will have the opportunity of fixing their people.

Over 200 workers of the YEA have been affected in the latest transfer which was intended to reposition the Agency for higher productivity, according to management. The transfers follow the deletion of some 16,000 people from the Agency’s payroll.

The transfer saw staff of YEA from northern part of Ghana being transferred to the south and vice versa.

Reacting to the transfers on TV’3 New Day hosted by Bright Nana Amfoh on Monday, the NDC National Organizer said “the mass transfer of young people from one region to the other is a calculated attempt by the NPP knowing well that the salaries of these people cannot sustain them even in their areas?” He queried: “Is that the employment you claim you are creating? Because when it happens that they would not go, then you will say there is a vacancy for you to fill your own people and is that the job that you promised the people of Ghana?” Mr. Adams noted that “considering that they cannot move to those places, because their salaries cannot sustain them there, they will abandon the posts”.

The Campaign Manager of the NDC 2016 election noted that the action of the current government on the YEA workers can bring insecurity in the country because most people will lose their jobs due to the distance.

“If today there is insecurity in the country, what would you say? The people you have transferred, are they not citizens of Ghana?”