The Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Malik Basintale, has strongly condemned the current contractual arrangement between the agency and sanitation service provider Zoomlion Ghana Limited, calling it “evil” and vowing never to renew it in its current form.
In a public statement released via his official Facebook page on Wednesday, Basintale described the existing contract as exploitative and unjust to Ghanaian youth who are employed under the sanitation module. He expressed outrage that for over seven years, the previous administration under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) continued to honor a contract that pays workers a meager GH¢250 out of the GH¢850 allocated per individual each month—the remaining GH¢600 being retained by Zoomlion as management fees.
“For 7 years, 9 months, the NPP renewed the Zoomlion contract in its current state, paying the Ghanaian youth GH¢250,” Basintale wrote. “It is EVIL for the previous government to have committed to this, and I SHALL STOP IT.”
The YEA boss, appointed under President John Dramani Mahama’s new administration, said the agency is determined to reset and realign its priorities in line with the President’s vision of equitable development and fair compensation for workers.
“H.E John Dramani Mahama came to review, reset, and bring Ghana back on track. This includes ensuring that every worker is paid satisfactorily for the work done,” he noted.
Basintale also made an emotional appeal, personalizing the plight of sanitation workers under the current arrangement.
“If my mother, brother, or sister were a Zoomlion worker, I wouldn’t be happy with them taking GH¢250 as salary—and as such, I can’t be happy with your mother, father, brother, or sister taking same,” he added.
As part of ongoing stakeholder engagement and accountability, the YEA CEO announced a live social media session scheduled for 8 PM tonight, during which he will address public concerns and share insights into the agency’s future approach to sanitation employment.
“Change came on December 7th, and change must happen,” Basintale concluded. “We can’t fail the masses.”
Read his post below:
Source:NKONKONSA.com
