Workers of the waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana, in the Ashanti Region have embarked on a protest to demand the payment of their seven months salary arrears.

The cleaners, mostly women, who earn between ₵100.00 and ₵300.00 a month to sweep streets, markets and the central business districts in Kumasi complain about neglect and hardship for the past seven months.

According to them, management of the company have not provided any reasons for the delay in the payment of their arrears.

Leadership of the workers say their situation has been compounded by the coronavirus outbreak and its attendant economic challenges.

In their working gear and spotting in red bands, the workers of Zoomlion, walked from their converging point at Oforikrom to the premises of Multimedia Group, Luv FM to complain about the treatment being meted to them.

Anger and frustration summed up their mood when they spoke to Luv News.

“We are here because of our unpaid salaries for seven months. We must eat and feed our families. For the leaders who have hoarded our money, if they don’t pay us but get another set of people to replace us, we shall curse them,” one threatened.

Another said “we know this coronavirus is dangerous, we haven’t received any sanitizers from our employers. We come to work and go back to our homes to hunger. This is not fair.”

In the face of the coronavirus scare, these workers say life has been difficult and their situation is worsening by the day.

“Before the lockdown and now, we had to borrow money from friends to survive. Now we are supposed to pay back but we cannot because we don’t have money.

“We thought our employers will pay us something at least during these difficult period but it hasn’t been so. It is really hard for us. Seven months is too long, we must be paid,” Justice Wadji, one of the aggrieved workers added.

Officials of Zoomlion admit the claims by workers, and say processes are on-going to pay the arrears.

Special Assistant to the CEO, Nana Yaw Boateng says the coronavirus scare has affected the process.

“With the payment issues, we are still working on it, sometimes it is very difficult and we don’t know how to put it. But we are still working around the clock and I know in a few months you are going to be paid.

“We are still working on it,” he added.

The workers who still report for duty say they will be forced to lay down their tools if the company continues to neglect them.