Jobless environmental health officers threaten protest despite YEA offer
Despite completing their mandatory national service, these officers have faced challenges
Environmental Health Officers, who have been unable to secure employment since 2021, are considering staging a protest unless the government provides them with financial clearance for recruitment.
Read full articleDespite completing their mandatory national service, these officers have faced challenges in securing postings from the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources.
The General Secretary of the association, Fred Awine, representing these officers, expressed their frustration at being unemployed for nearly three years.
In an interview with Citi News, Awuni stated, “We have been in the house for about two to three years now and we have been following up all this while and the Head of Local Service, who is our employer, is not telling us anything. The Ministry of Water and Sanitation who has taken over the three schools of hygiene that are under the Ministry of Health, is also quiet, and we have been following up since 2021.
“What they tell us is that they are on it, yet still, we have been home for three years, and so we are planning to demonstrate in Tamale, if not this month, early next month.”
He highlighted their eagerness to contribute to the nation's development and cited the lack of action from the government as the reason behind their decision to protest if no employment opportunities were provided.
He noted that the ministry's proposal to employ them under the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) was unacceptable, as it would equate their qualifications and training with those of high school graduates, which they found demeaning.
“They were going to recruit us under the Youth Employment agency like our brothers who are from the SHS and if that is the case, why don’t I just use my SHS certificate to apply for it because when you are paying me the same money as the SHS leaver, it doesn’t speak well.
“If I have paid fees and have been trained as an environmental officer and you are paying me the same as an SHS certificate holder, then you are belittling me.”
If their demands are not met, the officers are prepared to stage a demonstration in Tamale to draw attention to their plight and pressure the government into providing them with the necessary financial clearance for employment.
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