Youth in Afforestation workers cry over allowances of 8 months

September 12, 2022 9:38 AM

Aggrieved beneficiaries of the Youth in Afforestation under the Youth Employment Authority (YEA) are calling on the government to pay them their eight-month outstanding allowance arrears.

Youth in Afforestation

The demand of the youth comes after they embarked on an indefinite strike on August 1, 2022, to demand the payment of their allowance.

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They said although they have held several meetings with stakeholders to demand arrears, their issues have not yet been addressed.

Ernestina Nyarko, the National Secretary of the group narrating the severe hardship the beneficiaries on Citi News described the actions of the government of sidelining them and subsequently not paying their outstanding arrears as frustrating and worrying.

She said "From January till now, we have not been paid. It is really sad and very difficult for all of us. I can say on record that, they walk long distances to get to work. People are also being ejected from their houses because they can't pay rent."

The Youth in Afforestation programme was launched in 2018 in line with the government's commitment to reforestation, forest rehabilitation, and forest protection activities.

There are so 100,000 beneficiaries of the programme across the country.