Nov 04, 2012 at 7:12am

The Vice Presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Frimpomaa Kumakuma Sarpong, is calling for the abrogation of the contract between the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) and the Better Ghana Service Management Limited (BGSML) with immediate effect for breach of contract by the latter.

According to her, government signed a contract with the company to pay 65,000 youth for whatever job they undertake with a certain amount every month with the amount ranging between GHC 80 and GHC 120.

BGSML in November 2011 entered into an agreement with the NYEP to pre finance the arrears of workers under the programme. But almost a year after the programme, beneficiaries are being owed five months salary arrears which amounts to a violation of the contract.

At a media briefing, Ms Sarpong stated that “as a political party that believes in the welfare of the Ghanaian especially the youth, we cannot look unconcerned as the people of Ghana continue to be treated unfairly. This is absolutely injustice to the youth if we claim to be living in a just society.”

She alleged that “government in reimbursing Better Ghana Management Services Limited with interest. In this regard, it is expected that every youth working under this contract must be paid his or her salary at the end of every month. But this has not been the case.”

“The 65,000 youth currently have five good month’s salary arrears to be paid them. Our interest as a political party with the interest of the youth at heart is this, since Better Ghana Management Services Limited has failed to pay these Youth the little that is due them and has waited for this to accumulate to five months, we see no reason why the government should once again pay through them to the Youth”, she opined.

Ms Sarpong continued that “Government pays Better Ghana Management Services Limited an amount of GHC 250 per head. In actual fact, this money should have been paid to the youth from the onset. But this is given to BGSML and they pay the youth less this amount and we would have had no problem if Better Ghana was able to pre-finance these Youth every month as agreed in the contract signed with government.”

“This development is serious and very disturbing if we live in a country where the salaries of MPs have been increased about hundred percent. We believe this should be corrected immediately,” she added.

The CPP’s Vice Presidential candidate therefore appealed to the government to as a matter of urgency, “pay the GHC 250 amount directly to the youth and not through any middle man. We are saying this because we are much aware that government has given indication that they will be paying the Youth very soon.”

“We as a matter of urgency call on the NYEP to do the right thing as the remedies for default under the contract states as follows:
Where an event of default is deemed to have occurred the party not in default may, after the expiry date of thirty days notice to the defaulting party

Suspend the agreement or
Terminate the agreement stating the reason for the termination”, she concluded.

By: Cititfmonline.com/Ghana