Introduction
A very rich man cultivated a large plantation and hired workers to work on the farm for him. But because the farm was so huge that he couldn’t supervise their services, he hired extra hands to manage the labourers working on the farm for him.
The farmer told the managers how much he will pay them and how much he wanted them to pay the labourers at the end of every month. The managers did as directed by the farmer and whenever money was made available to them, the labourers were paid. However, the farmers could go for some months without wages because the farmer had refused to release money to the managers to pay them.
But in the end, the managers receive all the backlash, vilification and insults just because the farmer had refused to give them money to be given to the labourers. Then again, there was also the issue of the labourers receiving peanuts as wages. But before the managers could hire any worker, the farmer determines how much that labourer should be paid. But because the farmer was no more hiring the workers directly but through the managers, the workers felt it was the managers who were wicked and had refused to pay them what was due them.
Detach your emotions, erase whatever judgement you hold and analyse the situation as the facts have it and judge by yourself, if any of the concerns regarding this situation should be blamed on the farmer or the managers.
The short story you just read, is the story of the Government of Ghana which in this case is the farmer, Zoomlion Ghana Limited which is the manager(s), and its YEA staff who are the labourers.
Zoomlion and the Government of Ghana story
One Monday morning in the year 2006, I observed that the route to my school which was about 1.2 kilometres from the centre of the town was not the usual one I had seen for the past years I had stayed in that community or visited there. After walking a bit further ahead, I saw people in blue and orange working gears with some tricycles sweeping the roadside and desilting the choked drains.
As I walked a bit closer, I saw ZOOMLION inscribed on their uniforms and on the tricycles they were using. I remember vividly the words that came out of my mouth as I inched closer. ‘Nyame nhyira mo’, to wit God bless you.
Obviously I didn’t know what Zoomlion was, who had contracted them to keep our environments clean, their payment module and other details in their contract with the government. But what I learnt subsequently was that, these persons had been employed as part of the government’s strategies to manage waste in the country, especially urban areas, through the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited to implement the Youth in Waste and Sanitation Module.
Over the years, Zoomlion Ghana Limited has been a game-changer in Ghana’s waste management sector by providing Integrated Waste Management Solutions to cover the entire waste management process, from collection, haulage, transfer, sorting, recycling, and disposal. Overall, Zoomlion Ghana Limited has made significant contributions to Ghana’s waste management space, promoting sustainability, public health, and environmental protection.
Although their services cater for various sectors which include residential, business as well as community levels, for the purposes of this discussion, I will focus on the community services which it renders with the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) as its manager.
Few years after the emergence of Zoomlion, there were reports of the YEA agents under the module receiving peanuts as monthly wages for the work done. This has existed over the years with similar reports emerging from time to time.
I was searching for something online over the weekend and this issue of the YEA operatives working with Zoomlion popped up. It took my memory back to 2006 when it all started when these workers were happily working without any of these emerging issues. I was forced to read the story again although I had read it earlier as an ardent follower of news.
The story, written by Ibrahim Abubakar and published on 3news.com, was about a protest by some of the operatives who said they had not been paid for 20 months, ie, four months away from two years. Aside from the delay in the salary which became topical in the country, the usual size of the salary also came up.
Then I asked myself how Zoomlion could be so ‘wicked’ to be paying its workers as low as GHC250.00 per month and delay the salary for 20 good months. Then I saw a release from the Public Relations Unit of the company explaining in detail, the cause of the concerns raised.
First, is the amount Zoomlion paying the workers determined by the government or Zoomlion? Secondly, does the government release funds for Zoomlion which it refuses to pay the workers on time or not? These were the two major questions I sought to ask which the statement from the company addressed.
I know some big corporations whose security staff are paid GHC500.00 a month after working 12 hours a day for the entire week. If you divide the rate they are paid per day, for the 12 hours, it is GHC16.67p. This means that even if you round the figure up to GHC17, it means they take GHC1.41p for an hour.
In the case of Zoomlion, each worker has a day off in a week, meaning they work 26 days in a month on average, making their daily wage GHC9.61p which becomes GHC10.00 if it is also rounded up. This means they receive an hourly wage rate of GHC2.50p. This is because these people are required to work for 4 hours per day and I can attest to the fact that some of these operatives are able to sweep their designated portions in less than 2 hours and have the rest of the day to do whatever they want to do.
What am I doing here? I am not justifying the supposed meagre salary given to these workers. However, I have been struggling to understand why no one has ever taken any private security company or many of these private firms on for paying their staff less than GHC1.50p per hour, but have all the cause to roast Zoomlion for ‘giving’ its staff GHC2.50p per hour. This is if we assume without admitting that the said amount is determined by Zoomlion itself as most of the public have been made to believe.
No one should get me wrong. I am not saying the amount the workers are being paid is enough. No! I wish they could take double or triple of that. However, what we are failing to appreciate is the fact that, this amount is determined by the government and not Zoomlion and even if it was determined by Zoomlion, there are several other private companies in the country whose salary structure is far poorer than what operatives under the YEA’s Waste and Sanitation Module are taking. I know there are so many private companies in this country who pay their workers with these peanuts, some even lesser than the GHC500. But I used the security company as an example for purposes of this piece.
Following the August 2024 issues that came up, the company came to clarify that:
As per the contract agreement, Zoomlion is responsible for managing the operatives and providing the necessary logistics they require for their work, including uniforms, brooms, and other working tools. However, it is important to note the following:
Payment of Allowances: The payment of YEA operatives’ allowances is solely determined by the Government/YEA. It is then released to Zoomlion for onward payment to the beneficiaries as Zoomlion manages their day-to-day activities but does not control or determine the amount or timing of payments to operatives.
Working Hours: YEA operatives work for four (4) hours per day and do not work on Sundays. In addition to their regular duties, whenever operatives are required to work outside their contracted hours, Zoomlion ensures they are compensated with an allowance, and in some cases, provided with lunch.
Support for Workers: While it is not mandated by the contract for Zoomlion to offer compensation in cases of death or injury, the company has, on humanitarian grounds, extended support in such instances, including financial assistance for medical treatment. Additionally, operatives are appreciated at the end of each year with gifts of rice and oil, courtesy of Zoomlion.
18 Years of Unwavering Commitment to YEA Workers: For nearly two decades, Zoomlion has maintained a steadfast partnership with the YEA, consistently demonstrating our commitment to the well-being of YEA workers. Notably, Zoomlion has established an unblemished record of timely salary payments to YEA workers over the past 18 years, ensuring their financial stability and security. Moreover, our collaboration has gone beyond mere employment, as we have invested in the professional development of YEA workers. Through comprehensive training programs, numerous YEA workers have acquired specialized skills, with many advancing to become certified truck drivers.
Annual Global Exposure: Zoomlion’s yearly commitment to global exposure and motivation was evident in June, when YEA operatives were sponsored to visit Belarus and Russia, expanding their waste management knowledge and expertise.
Clarification on Delayed Payments: We understand the concerns about delays in the payment of allowances in some regions. However, Zoomlion is not responsible for these delays, as the government has not yet disbursed funds to the company for payment. Nonetheless, Zoomlion has, on several occasions, secured loans to pre-finance allowances as a humanitarian gesture, even though this is not part of our contractual obligations.
Even though not everything stated in the release could be directly benefited by majority of the operatives, my utmost interest is the fact that Zoomlion does not determine how much these staff should be paid and even if it does, the payment is better compared to many private companies in the country.
What is mind-boggling is the fact that no one has been able to dispute the fact that the amount given to the workers is determined by Zoomlion instead of the government as the company is claiming in its release. So why is Zoomlion being blamed for a decision by the government of Ghana? You may have your reservations about Zoomlion but truth be told, there is no waste management company in the country that possesses the wherewithal in terms of both human capital and resources to manage our waste in this country.
Zoomlion’s consistent delivery of world-class management services to various MMDAs over the years has resulted in significant reduction in sanitation-related health issues across the country which has earned them contracts in other African countries. I don’t think if they were that bad, they would have gotten such deals beyond the borders of Ghana.
In my conclusion, I want to suggest that, if it is possible, Zoomlion should devise means of securing money to pay these workers at the end of every month to avoid the backlash it receives from the public for the unnecessary delays in the release of their funds by the government. This is clearly a mistake from the government, but Zoomlion is the one that gets the backlash at the end of the day.
Also, there are issues regarding the concerns being spoken about, and I believe Zoomlion Ghana is a responsible corporate entity which has been at the forefront of driving sustainable waste management in Ghana. Therefore, the best thing to be done is for stakeholders and persons raising concerns, in the best interest of and fairness to all parties involved, engage in open and constructive dialogue rather than resorting to actions and pronouncements aimed at tarnishing the image of the company.
By Clinton Amegatse
