The Director of Communication and Corporate Affairs at Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Emma Adwoa Appiah Osei-Duah, has dismissed media reports suggesting that the company is shortchanging its sweepers.
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show, Madam Osei-Duah described the claims as false and painful, stating that Zoomlion has always advocated for the welfare of its workers.
“It’s really painful when people look us in the face and say we are mean or that we cheat the sweepers. That is not true,” she stated.
According to her, when Zoomlion started operations, sweepers were paid as little as GH₵50 under the administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
However, it was Zoomlion itself that petitioned for better pay for the workers.
“We were the ones who pleaded for the salaries to be increased. We wrote letters and made proposals, and that’s how the pay rose from GH₵50 to GH₵180 and gradually to GH₵258,” she said.
She stressed that Zoomlion does not determine the salaries on its own but follows the amount agreed upon by the government.
“The current GH₵258 is what government has agreed should be paid to the sweepers. It is not that we are cheating anyone,” she clarified.
Touching on Zoomlion’s collaboration with the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), she noted that the company values the relationship and works within the guidelines provided.
“We are in a partnership with the YEA. We don’t want to act outside what has been agreed upon. That’s why these accusations are so disheartening,” she added.
Madam Osei-Duah also disclosed Zoomlion’s impact on sanitation in Ghana, stating that the company has been instrumental in promoting the use of standard waste bins in homes and businesses.
“Since we began, we’ve played a key role in improving sanitation in the country. Today, waste collection is more structured, and homes are using proper bins because of our efforts.”
The company, she noted is focused on serving the nation and not looking for praise.
“We know the work we’re doing. We know we are serving God, and that is enough for us,” she said.
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