The Local Government Workers’ Union (LGWU) has appealed to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development to make a definite pronouncement on the fate of graduates from the three Schools of Hygiene regarding their delayed employment.

In a pre-May Day release signed by the General Secretary of the LGWU, Joseph Boahen, the union noted sadly that the investment made through their training is going to waste; they are not employed to contribute their quota in improving the environmental sanitation in villages, towns and cities.

“We cannot understand why a government that continues to commit resources for the training Schools of Hygiene should not be seen expressing grave concern about the employment issue of the graduates.”

The release indicated that in case their services are not needed, then it would be better to suspend the training of more students so that they do not add to the number of unemployed graduates currently at home.

The National Executive Committee of the LGWU said on the occasion of May Day, it is in solidarity with the students who after graduation remain jobless for more than three years.

The LGWU reiterates the clarion call on Ghanaians to change their attitude toward keeping a clean environment to help reduce the incidence of malaria and other preventable ailments to bring about the desired results.

Thus, the continued unemployment of these graduates from the Schools of Hygiene is a great disservice to the country since no meaningful development can take place in a filthy environment.

The release saluted workers of District Assemblies for their commitment to development at the local level and also called on the authorities to devise innovative ways to collect property levies that have remained untapped by assemblies.

The union urged MMDAs to continue impacting positively on development via tackling indiscriminate waste disposal by providing effective and efficient mechanism for waste collection as well as motivating property owners to voluntarily pay their rates and rehabilitate markets to improve their revenue base.

The release lamented the dilapidated market structures in towns and cities, when in fact those markets contribute substantially to the revenue of assemblies.

The LGWU stated its support for the street-naming exercise at the MMDAs and hopes it will provide the relevant database for property rate collection as well as facilitating easy directional guides to members of the public, especially visitors.

It concluded by saying while it calls on government to commit more resources to drive local governance, it equally urges workers of MMDAs to meet government half-way by avoiding fraudulent practices and stepping-up revenue mobilisation.