The court ruled that the plaintiffs were unfairly dismissed, and charged the agency to pay their salary arrears with interest from 2012 to date.

[contextly_sidebar id=”0QQkAS5tqhmo0lRsbwF4DiNmx0OQTcLf”]The judgment was given in favour of one David Quarshie and nine others who commenced the legal action.

The agency was ordered to pay general damages of GHc 6,000 to each Plaintiff and a cost of GHc 30,000.

The group sued the YEA, then the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency, over the unfair dismissals between November 2012 to August 2014.

The court action came after the National Labour Commission (NLC) in 2015 directed YEA to pay an amount of GHc455,364 to the staff for wrongfully terminating their contracts.

Citi News can confirm that the YEA is currently in a meeting on the matter as they are contemplating an appeal.

Background

After a change in the leadership of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency now YEA, when Kobby Acheampong took over from Abuga Pele in 2012, the contracts of a number of workers were terminated.

David Quashie and his colleagues argued that after serving as paid interns for more than two years, an opportunity opened for the recruitment of regular staff which they applied for, were interviewed and consequently appointed.

Their appointments were endorsed by either the then-Executive Director of the GYEEDA, Abuga Pele or the then-Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Alhaji Abudulai Yakubu.

But the YEA in response claimed the plaintiffs were wrongly interviewed and that they should not have been employed.

The Authority also claimed that the plaintiffs had gotten their jobs through foul means and were unqualified hence the dismissal.

But the workers successfully argued that they had no knowledge of the internal considerations that went into their appointments.

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By: Umaru Sanda Amadu & Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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At the signing ceremony, which took place on Wednesday at the Office of the Head of the Service in Accra, Nana Ato Arthur, who was elated at the partnership, disclosed that, the employment of various professionals would help reduce the high rate of unemployment which has saddled the country.

[contextly_sidebar id=”fhxBh6wOh37xiplZoVYknkQf3y5MbWAB”]“Just about two weeks ago, we advertised that we were looking for staff in the Local Government Service. Within the last two weeks, the number of graduates who have thronged this place will marvel all of us. I can tell you that we have over 5,000 applicants at the moment.”

“It tells you the level of unemployment in this country. Now with what we’re going to do today, between the Local Government Service and the Youth Employment Agency, I believe that we’re going to get many unemployed people to fill this gap,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Youth Employment Agency, the CEO of YEA, Justin Frimpong Kodua, expressed gratitude at the partnership, and the prospects it holds for addressing youth unemployment in the country.

“This Graduate Internship Program is basically to help us to get various youths who are graduates and have been at home for several years to augment the staff strength of various public sectors. This is not the first, and it will certainly not be the last exercise that we are embarking on,” he said.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post YEA, Local Gov’t Service sign MoU to offer more jobs appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Agency will also undertake the verification of the number of beneficiaries under the sanitation module, according to a memo sighted by Citi News, in following a management meeting in September 2017.

[contextly_sidebar id=”okpr32DACLmsHDB41MeL9VJ5nrVVHv8O”]As part of this, Zoomlion Ghana Limited is to furnish the YEA with the database of 45,000 beneficiaries.

Management has also resolved to take steps to pay allowances due staff from June to September 2017.

Suspended allowances

The allowances of Board Members, the CEO, Deputy CEOs and certain staff have also been suspended temporarily for review.

The YEA Management has also been directed to take steps to pay allowances due staff from June, 2017 to September, 2017.

A group calling itself the Coalition of Youth Employment Agency beneficiaries threatened to demonstrate over the matter in July.

The YEA management in April suspended payment of allowances to over 60,000 beneficiaries, after it had detected supposed fraudulent activities, including allowances to thousands of people who do not work for the agency.

The YEA was established under the Youth Employment Act 2015 (Act 887) to empower the country’s youth between the ages of 15 to 35 years,  through skills training and internship modules to transit from a situation of unemployment to that of employment.

As at December 2012, over 600,000 beneficiaries had been recruited by the YEA, which has 10 modules.

Find below the full memo

Management wishes to bring to the attention of all staff that, at the Agency’s Board Meeting held on 22nd September, 2017, the following resolutions/decisions were made, and all staff are to take note and comply accordingly:

• The provisions in the Conditions of Service pertaining to the payment of allowances to the Board Members, CEO, Deputy CEOs and all staff in the category of levels 8 – 13 have been suspended temporarily for review.
• That in view of the financial constraints, Management is directed to take steps to pay allowances due staff from June, 2017 to September, 2017.
• That all appointments made by Management are ratified.
• That all officers in acting positions for more than one (1) year are with immediate effect revoked.
• That Management is directed to conduct an HR Audit of the Human Resources of the Agency.
• That Management conducts a head count of all Beneficiaries on all modules.
• That Management undertakes a comprehensive verification of the number of Beneficiaries under the sanitation module.
• That the restructuring exercise initiated by Management is ratified, and Management should ensure that all due processes are followed.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Youth Employment Agency to audit beneficiaries appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The court, presided over by Justice Laurenda Owusu, said the order remains in “force for a period of only 10 days after which the application may be repeated on notice to the other side.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”XB4DkwUxKj9zb1WE8BjDQ8GkBcALeLTR”]A private citizen, Joseph Nelson, filed a suit to challenge the decision of the Agency to transfer, demote and reassign some staff of the Agency.

Counsel for the plaintiff, Samson Lardy Anyenini Esq. in the suit prayed the court for the order to restrain the defendants; the Youth Employment Agency and the Attorney General from carrying out the decision against the staff.

According to him, the Agency did not follow due procedure in undertaking the exercise.

He said the Agency did not make arrangements for the transportation or accommodation for the affected staff despite issuing them a 7-day ultimatum to vacate their respective positions.

Massive transfers hit YEA after payroll fraud

YEA in June 2017 issued a notice of mass transfer of some of its staff, explaining that it was part of an “ongoing restructuring exercise to reposition the Agency for higher productivity.”

The acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Justine Kodua Frimpong, in justifying the decision told Citi News that it will go a long way to rid the agency of corruption.

“When we realized that there were several inefficiencies in the system, we tried to look at how best we can rectify all those challenges to make sure that the agency is in the position to be able to perform its duties efficiently. So everything that we are doing as management is to make sure that the agency performs its work efficiently,” he said.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Court stops YEA from mass transfer of staff appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Management of YEA last week transferred over 300 of its staff in the various regions, explaining that it was part of an “ongoing restructuring exercise to re-position the Agency for higher productivity.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”WhIBBz7PFpyTFj4tkvihTZ2ADV0Dho9N”]Justifying the action, the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Justine Kodua Frimpong, said the move will go a long way to rid the agency of corruption.

“…When we realized that there were several inefficiencies in the system, we tried to look at how best we can rectify all those challenges to make sure that the agency is in the position to be able to perform its duties efficiently. So everything that we are doing as management is to make sure that the agency performs its work efficiently,” he added.

The YEA CEO also assured that, all culprits implicated in the recent internal audit report will not get off scot-free.

The agency had earlier disclosed that, the country had lost nearly GHc50 million due to various forms of fraudulent activities within the agency.

The amount is believed to be a sum of unearned salaries paid to unposted beneficiaries, funds for official use which were paid into personal accounts, and procurement without adherence to due process.

Earlier this year, YEA suspended the payment of allowances to over 60,000 beneficiaries on suspicion of discrepancies in the report handed to it by the managers under the previous administration.

The full-scale audit revealed that, many people who did not deserve to receive money from the Agency were doing so fraudulently. So far, the Agency under the new managers, has deleted some 16,839 names from the payroll, which it says has saved the country Ghc20 million.

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By: Anass Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post YEA CEO justifies massive staff transfers appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The amount, according to the findings of the report, is an aggregation of unearned allowances paid to unposted beneficiaries, funds for official use which were paid into personal accounts, as well as procurements without adherence to due process.

[contextly_sidebar id=”tCx3hvzG1o5a39VRLkqFrbv1hLNyk8Ga”]The acting Chief Executive of the YEA, Justine Kodua Frimpong, who made the revelations at a press conference, said some 2,716 beneficiaries did not have appointment letters, while 9,442 beneficiaries were above the age required. Another group of 4,681 beneficiaries, also vacated their post, while 14,443 beneficiaries were simply non-existent.

Some 11,512 beneficiaries were also without the assumption of duty letters.

Earlier this year, YEA suspended the payment of allowances to over 60,000 beneficiaries on suspicion of discrepancies in the report handed to it by the managers under the previous administration.

The full-scale audit revealed that, many people who did not deserve to receive money from the Agency were doing so fraudulently.

So far, the Agency has deleted some 16,839 names from the payroll.

Justine Kodua Frimpong, said the country has been saved some GH¢20 million by deleting the names of illegitimate beneficiaries.

He noted that, the Agency is still deliberating on the fate of the thousands of beneficiaries who were receiving monies without having an assumption of duty letters.

“A total of 16,839 beneficiaries have been deleted from the payroll, and this has saved the taxpayer as much as twenty million, two hundred and six thousand, eight hundred cedis. However, in respect of the last two (ie. Beneficiaries without assumption of duty letters and non-existing beneficiaries,) management has given itself a month, to address issues regarding their status.”

He added that, further investigation will be conducted into the matter to ensure that persons who are found guilty in the fraudulent activity will be dealt with according to law.

“As part of the physical verification exercise conducted by management, we observed that some district directors connived with some beneficiaries to partake in the verification exercise knowing very well that they have vacated post. I can assure all of you that further investigations will be conducted and those found culpable will be dealt with within the remit of the law.”

Mr. Kodua Frimpong said in spite of the challenges, it is collaborating with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to tighten its internal control mechanisms by introducing a pre-monthly validation policy before the issuance of payment.

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By: Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post GH¢50m payroll fraud uncovered at YEA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Lonrho Port project is a 650-million-dollar Atuabo Free Port (AFP) project expected to become a West African hub for the logistics, and serve vessels in the oil and gas industry.

The government of Ghana has 45 per cent shares in the project and it will be fully funded by Lonhro and its partners, subject to Parliamentary approval.

Apart from supporting the growth of the oil and gas sector and yielding financial benefits for the state, the project is expected to lead to the speedy development of host communities, particularly Atuabo, whose chiefs have allocated a large track of land for the project.

Notwithstanding the intended benefits, Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Kofi Asamoah, has advised government to rescind its decision to allow Lonrho Ports Ghana Limited to build the Freeport Service Terminal Complex at Atuabo in the Western Region.

According to him, government’s decision to offer the project to Lonrho constitutes a blatant violation of the Ghana Port and Harbours Authority (GPHA) Act 160 of 1986 (PNDC 160), which gives GHPA the sole authority to plan, build, manage, maintain, operate and control ports.

Mr Asamoah made this known at the 2014 May Day celebration in Accra.

He said: “The expansion of the Takoradi Port has a component of an oil and gas service terminal. Therefore, providing exclusivity for the Atuabo Freeport would have the potential of killing the Takoradi Port.”

However, at a press conference in Takoradi, President of the NGO, Abizi Morkeh indicated they are happy with calls on President Mahama by members of the Maritime and Dockworkers Union to ensure that Ghanaians realize the full benefits of the initiative.

The group numbering more than 50 is made up of young and old residents of Atuabo and adjourning communities within the catchment area of the proposed Lonrho project.

They are hopeful that the port project will be beneficial to them.

According to Abizi Morkeh, although PNDC Law 1986, Act 160 section 5(1) mandates the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority to plan, build, manage and develop ports, the same act also makes provision for the head of state to award any entity capable of building ports the permit to do so.

He is of the view that GPHA will continue to play a leading role in the management of the new port.

He added that “even if it requires the amendment of the law to allow Lorhnro to continue with the third project, it should be done since it will provide the youths in the area with jobs.”

Besides, workers of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA registered their support for the Atuabo Free Port project Despite initial concerns.

“We resolve that the unions are not against the development of the Atuabo Free Port, as misunderstood by sections of the public,” they said.

By: Afiba Anyanzua Anyanzu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post NGO to support Atuabo Free Port project appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.