General News of Saturday, 16 September 2017

Source: classfmonline.com

Resolve YEA challenges - Siidi Abubakar urges Sammy Awuku

Sammy Awuku, Board chair of YEA Sammy Awuku, Board chair of YEA

The National Youth Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Siidi Abubakar has charged Sammy Awuku to use his office as the Board chair of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) to resolve challenges at the agency.

Mr Awuku who is the National Youth Organiser of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) was appointed Board chair of the YEA and sworn into office on Friday, 15 September 2017.

Reacting to the appointment, Mr Awuku’s opposite number urged him to settle all disputes within the Agency.

The Agency in June this year took a decision to transfer over 300 of its staff in the various districts across the country, as well as demote and reassign some staff as part of “ongoing restructuring exercise to re-position the Agency for higher productivity.”

Unhappy with the decision, a private citizen, Joseph Nelson, filed a suit to challenge the decision of the Agency to embark on the mass transfer. The Labour Division of the High Court issued an order of interim injunction against the Agency, stopping it from embarking on the mass transfer.

Mr Abubakar told Class news’ Kwesi Parker-Wilson in an interview that: “Having given him [Sammy Awuku] this opportunity to be the chairman of the Board of YEA, I think it’s an opportunity for him to resolve all these differences and also to be able to take the issues out of court, sanitise the Youth Employment Agency and make sure there is unity and cohesion so that they can deliver for the youth of this country.

“People said that he is behind the mass transfers, even though the matter is before the court and the court has placed an injunction on the transfer, I think this is an opportunity for him to resolve all the issues once and for all for all of us to have a stable nation. Anytime there is an issue that has to do with the youth, the tension that surrounds it is too much, it’s too unbearable so I’m very happy he’s been appointed and since people are accusing him as the architect of the problem and he’s been given this opportunity he has to resolve it.”