Manasseh Azure Awuni writes an open letter to the President of Ghana, H.E, and shares information about how Zoom Lion pays sweepers GHS180 instead of GHS600 allocated to them. Read the full write-up.
MY CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO THE PRESIDENT
Dear President Akufo-Addo,
The sweepers across the country are paid 180 cedis a month out of the 600 cedis allocated to them from the taxpayers’ coffers. Instead of paying them directly through the assemblies they clean, your government pays through Zoomlion. The arrangement is that Zoomlion will take 420 cedis and give the poor sweepers in whose name the youth employment programme was created only 180 cedis.
Zoomlion claims there are 45,000 sweepers on the payroll. This means that each month, 18.9 MILLION GHANA CEDIS goes to Zoomlion while each of the poor workers goes home with 180 cedis ($30).
Sir, put yourself in the shoes of the mothers and fathers who do this work. They have no health insurance or pension or any other benefit. They have families to take care of.
You and your party criticised this wickedness when you were in opposition. In government, you’re continuing it. The truest test of your character is how you treat the vulnerable. I’m appealing to you to end this heartless arrangement so that sweepers can be paid directly.
Don’t harden your heart, please. Christmas message means nothing when you president over this wickedness against the poor using the taxpayers’ money. Ghanaians did not vote for you to come and oppress the poor and enrich a greedy few.
I pray you spare these poor people a thought as you wine and dine this yuletide.
Yours sincerely,
Manasseh Azure Awuni.
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