Business News of Tuesday, 21 March 2017

Source: todaygh.com

YEA workers threaten strike over unpaid salaries

Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah - Minister for Employment and Labour Relations Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah - Minister for Employment and Labour Relations

Information reaching Today indicates that all beneficiaries of Youth Employment Agency (YEA) from the ten regions of the country have threatened to lay down their tools if government does not pay them their monthly allowances.

According to them, they have been working for the past three months without pay.

Some of the workers who spoke to Today complained bitterly that they were struggling to feed their families.

They said, they were fed up with the assurance from their regional and district outfits and warned the government to pay them by the end of March 2017 or they will lay down their tools.

“We are appealing to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo through the YEA to pay us our allowances”, they said.

District and regional leaders’ of the YEA who spoke to Today on condition of anonymity confirmed the non-payment of their three months salary (from January to March 2017) to them and said they were not happy with the way they were being treated by the central government.

One Owusu-Ansah, who has been working with the YEA for the past two years complained about unfair treatment from those at the helm of affairs.

He told the Today that workers had not been paid for the past three months.

He pointed out that as “a single parent, I’m finding it difficult to pay my children’s school fees”.

“We planned to embark on a strike last month, but our leaders intervened and assured us that we will be paid soon, but nothing has changed ,” he added.

Meanwhile officials of YEA in Accra have confirmed that the government through YEA owes workers three months’ salary.

They however told Today that, efforts were being made to raise funds to settle the debt

They explained that the YEA had been unable to meet its obligation because it had not received funds from the government in the past three months.

“We hoped that by the end of this month the YEA will be in a position to settle the debt, they assured.