Regional News of Friday, 3 May 2019

Source: Daniel Kaku

NaBCo District coordinators to go on strike over seven-month unpaid salaries

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The District Coordinators of Nation Builders Corps (NaBCo) across the country have threatened to lay down their tools to embark on a sit-down strike over their seven-month unpaid salaries.

These Coordinators have been employed by the government to coordinate the activities of the beneficiaries who are on the modules to run service for this country.

Since the inspection of the program, payment of salaries to the beneficiaries has been an obstacle to the government.

Currently, the beneficiaries who are on the eight modules planned to demonstrate against the government over their five-month unpaid arrears.

Some Ghanaians thought all is well with the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Coordinators not knowing their case is worse.

Speaking to one of these angry Coordinators to know how they are feeling, this Coordinator told me that all is not well with them.

This Coordinator (name withheld) revealed that ever since they started their work they have not received any salary.

According to the Coordinator, they have been always using their own money to run the office.

This Coordinator said the CEO has been giving assurance that their salaries will be paid but the CEO has failed to honour his promise.

"The CEO said he has done his part and now left with the Finance Minister who is not ready to release the funds", the Coordinator alleged.

According to this Coordinator, they are giving the government up to the end of this month to pay them else they will embark on indefinite sit down strike.

Background of NaBCo

On Tuesday, May 1, this year, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched the NaBCo in Kumasi as an initiative by the government to provide employment for 100,000 unemployed graduates this year.

The programme is initially intended to operate seven modules designed to meet the pressing needs of the nation, while providing jobs for the teeming youth who have received tertiary education but are struggling to find jobs, partly because of the ban placed on public sector employment by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The beneficiaries will be engaged for three years and they are expected to earn a monthly stipend of GH¢700 each.

The modules are Feed Ghana, Educate Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Heal Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, Digitise Ghana and Governance Ghana.