Local Government Workers ask President Mahama to employ environmental officers
The Local Government Workers’ Union, (LGWU,) has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to have compassion on the more than 1,500 trained environmental health officers whose employment has delayed since 2011.
The Union in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mr Joe Boahen on Saturday said it is unfortunate that 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 batches of graduates of the Schools of Hygiene have not been employed.
It said due to their plights these graduates had formed Concerned Environmental Health Officers Association hoping that their voices would be heard.
The statement said it is regrettable that while all these batches of graduates stay at home, the Schools of Hygiene continue to use the tax payers’ money to train more students.
“The LGWU is compelled to appeal to President John D. Mahama following the receipt of a copy of a ‘Reminder Letter’ from the Concerned Environmental Health Officers Association.”
The statement said the reminder letter addressed to the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations states “We deem it a necessity to remind you of the promise made to us on October 20, 2015 that our postings will be ready by January 1, 2016.”
It said now that the date had elapsed, the Union wishes to remind government of its promise.
The LGWU said it appreciated the directive of President Mahama calling on the relevant agencies to work on the delayed postings of trained nurses and teachers.
“We hope the President will extend the same gesture to cover the over one thousand, five hundred School of Hygiene Graduates who are also at home.”
“As a Union, we have on a number of occasions prevailed on the Schools of Hygiene Graduates not to resort to demonstrations or any violent acts to back their demands.”
“We hope the Government is not waiting for members of the Concerned Environmental Health Officers Association to hit the street before attending to their grievances.”
Students of the schools of Hygiene are trained to enforce sanitation laws and educate people on measures to prevent sanitation and hygiene related diseases.
Source: GNA