Dr. Isaac Dasmani
Artisans at Apeate in the Prestea Hun-Valley municipality of Western Region, who have been contracted to mould cement blocks for reconstruction of their destroyed community, are delaying the execution of the contract, the Daily Statesman has been told.
They claim the GH₵15 daily wage being paid each of them by the local relief committee is woefully inadequate, and have consequently stopped moulding the blocks for the past few days.
There are fears that their action will delay plans by government to reconstruct Apeate within a year. Some of the artisans interviewed by Daily Statesman said they were demanding not less than GH₵50 cedis on daily basis
According to them, GH₵50 is even reasonable, considering the fact that GH₵100 is the fixed price charged for block moulding everywhere. They said the increment would motivate them in executing the job, which is very tedious
“We cannot allow ourselves to be cheated by the committee after receiving enough funds to pay for our labour. We are no longer going to engage in donkey jobs for others to pocket the money,” they said.
New arrangement
Reports, however, indicate that the Municipal Chief Executive for the area, Dr. Isaac Dasmani, is not happy about the development, and has invited other cement block moulders in surrounding communities to take over the contract.
Some concerned residents in the region have condemned the action of the Apeate artisans, saying they are “ungrateful and unpatriotic”. They added that the artisans should have shown gratitude to companies and organisations for the prompt response to their plight by moulding the blocks free of charge.
“After all, these blocks are going to be used for reconstruction of our own destroyed community, and must you even be paid for moulding them?” some residents quizzed.
Meanwhile, benevolent organisations continue to donate building materials, including bags of cement, gravel, sand and stone chippings, to support the project.
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