Koforidua, Feb. 2, GNA - Workers of the Eastern Regional Zoomlion Company who were employed under the Regional National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), have not received their December, 2010 and January, 2011 salaries.

The workers who spoke to the Ghana News Agency in Koforidua on condition of anonymity said although their salaries were very low they have not been paid for the past two months. "They do not respect us; they talk to us as if we are not human bein= gs. We do not know if it is because we are cleaners and think we are unimportan= t people," one of the beneficiaries said.

The workers also complained that they were not given protective clothes and because of that they easily contract diseases. "At first they gave us gloves, nose masks and two bottles of deterge= nts every month, but now they do not give us anything," a volunteer said. When the GNA went for clarifications of the allegations, the Regional Operations Supervisor, Mr Ernest Kusi, said he was surprised the workers were making such claims.

He said the company had, as an incentive, a 91Zoom Credit' facility which enabled the workers to access loans from the Headquarters of Zoomlion= .. "I signed for them to access the loan when they want it. Moreover, w= e gave each one of them a bag of rice as an incentive." "They mishandle logistics; we make provision of these things every month or two. They do not handle them well and they give no good reason for mishandling them."

He explained that the government was carrying out a headcount to ensure that they people were paying without to remove 91ghost names' whi= ch was the result of late payment of salaries.

Mr Kusi said the company was concerned about the welfare of the worker= s and was prepared to provide everything they needed, including their protective clothes, loans and training. He entreated the Municipal and District Directors to enforce the bye- laws on sanitation for a clean and a healthy Ghana.