The Local Government Workers Union (LGWU), has lauded Government for its decision to engage 235 environmental health graduates, but says more of them should be absorbed in order to tackle the current sanitation problem head-on.

The Union in a statement signed by Mr Joe Boahen, the General Secretary and copied to Ghana News Agency said: “The LGWU is worried about the delay in engaging the three batches of Environmental health graduates since 2011 with a total number of 782.”

The graduates are products from the country’s three environmental health institutions namely Accra School of Hygiene, Ho School of Hygiene and the Tamale School of Hygiene.

Restating the Union’s view to rely on the graduates to drive the sanitation crusade, the statement said: “It is in this regard that the LGWU welcome the steps initiated by the Local Government Service to engage about 235 out of the 782 Environmental health graduates.”

As a union with large representation at the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, preventable ailments arising from poor sanitation did not portray a good picture of Ghana to the outside world, the statement said.

It appealed to the 547 graduates who are yet to hear any positive response from government to exercise restraint and not to resort to any public disturbance that could undermine the Union’s efforts to dialogue with the relevant institutions.

The LGWU also expressed concern about government’s delay in reimbursing the waste management companies, saying such delays tend to impact negatively on their work.

“The LGWU acknowledges that waste management is not an easy task especially in Ghana where all kinds of waste get mixed up in containers. This situation calls for positive attitude change where all citizens will desist from indiscriminate waste disposal and improper waste segregation.”