Unpaid YEA staff demand 10-month arrears
Hundreds of Youth Employment Agency (YEA) workers say they have endured 10 months without pay, a crisis that has pushed some into poverty, ill health, and even suicide attempts.
The aggrieved staff, numbering about 300 nationwide, accuse management of deliberate neglect and are pleading with President John Dramani Mahama to intervene urgently to save their families from further suffering.
The frustrated workers accuse management of neglect, saying the prolonged delay has pushed many into unbearable financial hardship, with some colleagues suffering strokes and others nearly driven to suicide.
At a news conference in Kumasi on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the group made a direct appeal to President John Dramani Mahama.
“Mr. President, please hear our cry and save us and our families from further starvation,” pleaded Osei Yaw Akoto, convener of the aggrieved staff.
According to them, they were permanently employed in November 2024 after clearance from the Public Service Commission and the Finance Ministry.
They have been at the post since December 1, 2024, but say they have not received a single salary.
Many of the workers had already served the agency as contract staff for between two and eight years before their appointment was regularised.
They alleged that YEA’s CEO, Malik Basintale, admitted in a February 2025 Zoom meeting that their mechanisation was valid but announced an audit to address concerns about a few unqualified staff.
The audit was completed in March 2025, however, no official update has been given since.
The workers say repeated petitions, including one submitted through their lawyer in June 2025, have all been ignored.
“We are starving,” the spokesperson said, stressing that the delay has crippled families, leaving some unable to feed their children, pay school fees, or even keep their marriages intact.
They described the situation as a violation of their basic human rights and accused management of deliberately trying to frustrate them out of their jobs.