Fast food and low wages

The Wireless - Radio New Zealand
Published 28th November 2013

http://thewireless.co.nz/themes/free/fast-food-and-low-wages

Jobs in the fast food industry are often a young person’s first taste of working life – from slinging burgers after school to delivering pizzas on the weekend. The hours are flexible, and while the pay is usually minimal, the social side of it can be fun.

But full- or part-time, young workers spoken to for The Wireless agree – theirs is a tough job. Physically and mentally, there’s a lot to deal with: overwhelming heat in kitchens; demanding, sometimes abusive customers; standing all day, and the monotony of doing the same thing, shift after shift.

It’s all go, and while the industry prides itself on creating career opportunities, moving through the ranks isn’t for everyone.

Of people spoken to both on and off the record about their experiences in fast food work, responses were almost equally divided between enjoying the work, and despising it. None were particularly interested in careers within the fast food industry.


See link for whole article

http://thewireless.co.nz/themes/free/fast-food-and-low-wages 

New laws needed to curb Cape Coast drownings.

For Atlantic FM - Cape Coast Ghana, broadcast on 14.3.2013

The high number of drownings along Cape Coast needs to be addressed at a government level a
local police officer has said.

Since March last year, there has been 16 drownings along the Cape Coast – the most recent was last
Sunday when a teenager drowned near Oasis Beach Resort.

Bakana police station officer ASP Edward Otumi told ATLM FM News that the government
needed to enforce laws to make resorts take responsibility for swimmers at popular spots, like
Oasis.

While some resorts along the coast have lifeguards and are designated safe swimming areas, he said
there should be a law to make all resorts and popular beach-side restaurants provide them.

“Spots like Castle Restaurant where we know people are there to drink and have fun, they will also
want to swim so you need to have lifesavers there, so we want the government to make sure (of
that).”

Mr Otumi had personally spoken with the Oasis management about hiring lifeguards after the recent
drowning, but said they did not feel it was their duty to do so.

Oasis manager Mirko Schumm told ATL FM News that the resort was currently trying to employ a
lifeguard for the area, but could not find anyone qualified enough.

He said they had hired a lifeguard in the past but the guard could not swim well enough for the
job. Mr Schumm said he has personally had to save a few people struggling in the ocean by
Oasis.

He said the water in the area could be dangerous with the currents, winds and high waves.

Mr Otumi urged swimmers to be aware of the risks in the Cape Coast oceans, especially over the
upcoming Easter celebrations where he feared there would be more drownings with people going to
the beach over the break. He said anyone wanting to swim should ask local fishermen which areas
were safer.

GOVERNMENT PLEDGES MUSIC SUPPORT

For Atlantic FM - Cape Coast Ghana, broadcast on 4.3.2013

The government has pledged its support to the Ghana music industry as it says it will help boost
employment in Ghana.

Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, was speaking at the
launch of the maiden Ghana Music Week in Accra yesterday, and told the audience of music
industry professionals that the government saw the creative arts as a wealth creator, as well as a way
to grow tourism.

She said the government would “continue to provide the needed support to bring the creative
industry on par with other sectors.”

She said President John Mahama's vision for this term – which was recently outlined in his
State of the Nation address, would see him “develop and strengthen the creative industry to enable
the county to actively engage in world trade for creative goods and services.”

As part of the vision, Mrs Ofosu-Adjare also said the government would facilitate acquiring funding
from the private sector to build a new much-needed arts venue in Ghana, which president of the
MUSIGA Bice Osei Kuffuor said was a “key necessity” to accommodate the growing Ghana music
industry.

Mr Osei Kuffuor said a new venue would be great “for the development of the music industry to
seat our numerous clients and fans who have outgrown all the entertainment venues in our country
now.”

The event organised by the Musicians Union of Ghana is taking place at the National Theatre
and will feature workshops, performances and competitions. It opened yesterday with traditional
performances from all areas in Ghana, including the Masquerade Dancers from the Central Region.

As part of the programme, on March 6 – Independence Day – 56 Ghanian artists will be performing
at the Accra Sports Stadium to celebrate 56 years of independence, and then on Saturday March 9
the week concludes with an industry awards ceremony.

Keep politics out of student leadership

For Atlantic FM - Cape Coast Ghana, broadcast on 25.2.2013

The University of Cape Coast's Student Representative Council (SRC) needs to keep the individuals and
their politics out of student leadership.

At a public lecture today as part of the UCC SRC 50th anniversary celebrations, UCC professor
George K.T. Oduro told the student audience it was important that their council remained non-
partisan in the face of pressure from political parties on campus.

The lecture, based on the impact of student leadership on tertiary education and social change, used
the UCC SRC as a case study.

Professor Oduro, who was the UCC SRC President from 1992- 1993 and then the president of the
National Union of Ghana Students emphasised the need to remain non-partisan as student leaders
and be inclusive of all faiths and ethnicities, as the student leaders were the mouthpiece of their
diverse student colleagues.

“One feature of the student movement is that it is a-political, it is a-political because membership
of the movement come from different political divides, they come from different religious divides,
they come from different ethnic divides so the movement does not adopt that notion or phenomena
of tribalism, partisan, imperialism and all the isms.”

Professor Oduro also spoke about student leadership's importance, from Ghana's independence to
the present day, saying it is student leaders who initiate social change and in doing so, shape the
image of the university.

“The fight against colonisation could not have been accelerated if the student moment, or for that
instance student leaders did not take the first steps.

“For instance our former first president Kwame Nkrumah was a member of the West Africa
Students Association and played a pivotal role in accelerating the decolonisation process.

“Students can never be taken out of the political history of our nation,” he said.

OFFICIAL SAYS CAPE COAST WATER SAFE TO DRINK

For Atlantic FM - Cape Coast Ghana, broadcast on 20.2.2013

An official at the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says water in the Cape Coast region is
safer to drink than sachet water.

This assurance comes after expired aluminium sulphate was reportedly found in water treated at the
Weija plant, raising concerns for health. National Security officials are currently investigating this
issue.

GWCL Regional Chief Manager Emmanuel Ashia told ATL FM News that water in the Cape Coast
area was safe for human consumption, and had not had any official word concerning the expired
chemicals issue.

“Our water is tested every day from the plant where the water is produced, and also in the
distribution system we take samples to make sure the water is tested, so if you drink our water – it is
safe.

“We add extra chlorine to kill any bacteria that happens to be in the system.”

The company uses two treatment plants – Sekyere Heman and Briminso for water from the River
Pra and Kakum River. Mr Ashia said the issue of iron naturally occurring in water, old pipes and
hilly areas in Cape Coast were more of an issue in water management and distribution.

He said water around the Cape Coast Castle was a problem due to the old pipes in the area, which
would be difficult to replace as roads run over-top of them.

Despite these issues, he claimed that the tap water was often safer to drink than some sachet or
bottled water.

“We know that most of the sachet water is not safe, they just filter the water and put it in the rubber
bags.

“Some do some disinfection that can last for a while, but when they are put in the sunlight there is a
lot of algae growth.”

He said not all the sachet water was unsafe, but there was a common misconception that tap water
in Ghana was not safe to drink, and that these were a better alternative.

UCC ABORTION RESEARCH

For Atlantic FM - Cape Coast Ghana, broadcast on 25.2.2013  

A team from the University of Cape Coast are currently researching unsafe abortions in Ghana
which is the second most common cause of maternal mortality in the country.

The study is supported by the World Health Organization, and is aimed at improving maternal
health in developing nations, as chartered in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The research is led by UCC Population and Health lecturer Doctor Akwasi Kumi Kyereme and
looks at the use of labour-inducing drug misoprostol which can also be legally used to terminate
pregnancy in 80 countries if it is administered by a health professional.

The researchers are looking at cases over five countries including Ghana, when this drug is not
administered by a professional, and the effects it can cause when it is not managed.

“We have realised that the use of misoprostol, one of the drugs for pregnancy induction and is
listed on the WHO, the use is on the increase, and anecdotal evidence suggests that more and more
females who try to terminate pregnancy take this drug.

“We realise that when they take this is reduces the severity of abortion complications.”

Some abortions in Ghana are legal, such as pregnancy from rape, incest or if the pregnancy will
cause ill-health to the mother or child.

Dr Kumi Kyereme said that the drug was being abused when it was not prescribed properly,
but evidence so far has suggested it is a safer alternative than other ways of unprofessionally
administered terminations

“We don't support abuse but it is evident that those who use it have less severe complications than
those who use other methods.”

The research is divided into three phases and involves interviews with providers of post-abortion
care, looks at the symptoms women may suffer from abortions and the third phase involves in-depth
interviews with those who have had an abortion, using the drug or other means.

The study will also look at developing nations Bhutan, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Nigeria, started last
year and is expected to be finished later this year.

Cape Coast police catch Accra extortion cop

ATL FM Ghana

An Accra policeman has been charged with extortion after Cape Coast police busted him last Thursday when he and three others posed as National Security Guards and tried to arrest a man they accused of dealing in mercury.

 On Thursday, Kotokuraba Police arrested detectivecorporal Daneil Adjei Asare of CID Headquarters in Accra, along with Sampson Mends a civilian employee with the Ghanian Armed Forces, Teshie Accra Peter Amenyo, an auto mechanic from Accra and Rijee Rizvi Mamudeen a businessman from Malaysia.

Kotokuraba police inspector ASP Emmanuel Tetteh said the four posed as National Security Operatives and arrested a man who they accused of dealing in a substance believed to be mercury.

They allegedly forced the man to pay them 1000 cedi to be freed, and warned him not to disclose what had happened.

The Kotokuraba police, upon a tip off, followed the four suspects, and arrested them at Moree Junction on Thursday afternoon.

 An Accra policeman has been charged with extortion after Cape Coast police busted him last Thursday when he and three others posed as National Security Guards and tried to arrest a man they accused of dealing in mercury.

On Thursday, Kotokuraba Police arrested detectivecorporal Daneil Adjei Asare of CID Headquarters in Accra, along with Sampson Mends a civilian employee with the Ghanian Armed Forces, Teshie Accra Peter Amenyo, an auto mechanic from Accra and Rijee Rizvi Mamudeen a businessman from Malaysia.

 Kotokuraba police inspector ASP Emmanuel Tetteh said the four posed as National Security Operatives and arrested a man who they accused of dealing in a substance believed to be mercury.

 They allegedly forced the man to pay them 1000 cedi to be freed, and warned him not to disclose what had happened.

The Kotokuraba police, upon a tip off, followed the four suspects, and arrested them at Moree Junction on Thursday afternoon.

Doctor's strike

ATL FM Ghana

The Ghana Medical Association has started strike action today, affecting hospitals through Ghana.

The association has withdrawn outpatient services from today, and will follow this by a full strike from February 18 if the government does not settle their salary issues.

ATL FM news has visited three hospitals in the Cape Coast metropolis – Central Regional Hospital, District Hospital and the University of Cape Coast hospital but no one spoken to was willing to go air with their comments.

From what the ATL witnessed, the hospitals were busy and doctors were attending to their duties – both emergency and out-patient cases.

An administrator at the University of Cape Coast hospital who did not want to be named, said doctors were attending to all patients and has no information about the strike.

ATL News also spoke to a University of Cape Coast student who was waiting for treatment at the Central Region Hospital.

He told the station he felt his treatment was being affected by strike action, and his appointment had been deferred from last week due to this.

SRC visits School for the Deaf

For Atlantic FM Cape Coast Ghana - broadcast 11.2.2013

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration the University of Cape Coast Student Representative Council (SRC) visited the Cape Coast School for the Deaf over the weekend.

The SRC is focusing on social development as part of its anniversary, so a delegation of its
members went to the school on Saturday to donate goods.

The school has 429 hearing and visually impaired students and teaches primary through to technical
skills. Most of the students board at the school.

School headmistress Barbara Ennin said the majority of students come from poor families, and the
school is reliant on government funding as well as philanthropic donations.

SRC Project and Programmes committee chairman, D.J Sambah Francis said they chose the school
as they saw it as a very worthy cause.

“These people have a special need, they are disenfranchised in so many ways. They depend on
corporate institutions and corporate organisations to come to their aid.

“SRC as a stake holder in development have identified itself with Cape Deaf looking at where they
are situated and looking at some of the things they are disenfranchised from,” he said.

While handing over the goods to Miss Ennin, SRC president Boateng Enoch said many of the
UCCs deaf and visually impaired students were educated at the school, and thanked the school for
their development.

“You have been able to produce most of them, they are academically brilliant. I can recall
somebody being able to score a grade of ten.

We want to still urge you to keep growing them, the University of Cape Coast as well as other
universities in Ghana have facilities that can cater for them.”

Faculty Of Social Sciences Holds 7th Annual Conference On Microfinance

One of the objective of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals is the eradication of extreme poverty particularly in developing countries, and according to experts, the Micro-finance Sector has been playing an intermediary role in reaching this goal. 

The UN and its member countries have over the years put in place mechanisms to alleviate poverty and in order to enhance the achievements of the MDG's by 2015.

The 7^th Annual conference Microfinance of the University Of Cape Coast Faculty Of Social Sciences has been held to help champion micro-financing, thus helping reduce poverty.

The opening of the two day conference was graced by the Vice-Chancelor of the UCC, Prof. D.D. Kuupole, the Oguaa Manhen, Osaberima Kwesi Atta II, Deans of Faculties, Apex Bodies and Microfinance Institutions, was held on the theme; Microfinance and Poverty Reduction, Taking Stock of Achievements And Challenges Towards 2015.

Professor Kojo Awusabo Asare who is the chairman of the micro-finance committee of UCC and a lecturer in population and health said the idea of the conference is to help in the sharing of ideas.

“The whole idea is to provide a platform for sharing ideas and information on micro-finance and also the university is to provide academic backing for the issue of micro-finance. The role of research institutions like the University of Cape Coast is to study if it is working, or if it is it not working.”

He added: “if it’s working, what factors make it work and how we can improve upon them, and if it’s not working what were the reasons and how can we overcome it.” 

Speaking on the role of the Ministry of Finance in enhancing the operations of Microfinance, Mr. Jeffrey Gargar of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning told ATL FM news, that the Ministry is running a program in a Rural and Agricultural finance.

“The focus of the project is how to deepen access to finance for people living in these areas who are in low income brackets. We try to deepen the institutions who provide these services to them so they can become sustainable.”

The second day of the workshop is underway today at the Sasakawa Conference Center in the University of Cape Coast.

Spending outweights expenditure

Yesterday ATL FM News ran a story about Ghana’s worsening unemployment situation and the

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology upcoming plans to run clinics to help

young graduates find work.

However, the ATL FM News has been speaking to some workers at the University of Cape Coast

and have found even those with jobs are struggling to make ends meet, with expenditures often

exceeding income.

It is a wide-spread issue, and with easy access to loans over-spending can have dire consequences.

Dr Aborampa Amoah-Mensah, a lecturer of international business and entrepreneurship told ATL

FM News that the pressures of consumerism was a large factor is people spending more than they

make.

“In our society we cherish people who use flashy cars. People also like comparisons – if they

went to school with this guy or this girl and the person is earning this much and you haven’t got

anything, you spend more that you have – either going for a loan or finding fictitious or dubious

ways to cheat.”

Miss Evon Misroame an administrator in the English department agreed saying people need to

learn to live within their means, and that access to loans when you are working can be too easy and

lead to excessive spending.

“People get to know that when in the working environment there is an easy way to access loans.

Some people have not got the need for a loan, yet they will go for the loan and waste it. This

accounts for why people spend more than they need.

“They will not sit down and budget or plan for whatever they want to buy,” she said.

ATL FM News also spoke to Emmanuel Quaye, an aluminium fabricator working on campus who

said he was unable to live within his means as the cost of living in Ghana is too high, and the wages

too low.

“The salary I take a month doesn’t suit me. I have a lot of things to take care of, they are up and

down. In my daily activities I have to take a car in and out and buy my breakfast and lunch.

“To eat in Ghana its a problem, to buy products its a problem.

“Anything you do you have to spend – at the end of the say the salary you takes is something

small.”

He said it was up to the government to fix this issues for Ghanaians in the same situation as him.