President of the Greater Accra School Feeding Caterers Association, Juliana Cudjoe, is demanding an apology from the Ashanti regional minister, Simon Osei-Mensah to the Ashanti regional members of their association members who picketed at the Regional Coordinating Council.
Madam Cudjoe said the actions of the minister shows disrespect to the caterers and women in general and must apologize immediately.
Scores of caterers on the school feeding programme in the Ashanti region were left in a shock, when the Ashanti regional minister, Simon Osei Mensah snubbed them on Monday, April 3, 2023.
The aggrieved traders had gone to the Regional Coordinating Council to present a petition over non-payment of their funds.
For weeks, these caterers have been protesting for the release of payments which is almost a year in arrears, and an upward adjustment of the allocation fee from 97pesewas per head to GH¢3.
The caterers have attributed the demand for adjustment to hikes in prices of foodstuff in the country.
On March 20, they besieged the regional school feeding secretariat hoping to be reimbursed but that did not happen.
On March 27, they were left with another disappointment when they picketed again at the regional school feeding secretariat.
A petition was to be presented to the Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah after weeks of no response from the central government. But they were left disappointed when the minister snubbed them.
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Reacting to the issue in an audio note sent to OnuaOnline, the President of the Greater Accra School Feeding Caterers Association, Juliana Cudjoe said “I want you to send this to the Ashanti Regional Minister that he should come out and apologise to all the women because what he did does not show respect to women.”
“Look at how prices of goods are. We are sacrificing to support the children in order to cook for them but whenever we are being paid, a lot of deductions are made without knowing where the money goes,” she explained in Twi.
She said if the women are demanding explanations on these “look at how he [Ashanti Regional Minister] treated the women.”
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“You were throwing your hands. If your wife had been part of them, would you have thrown your hands? If your wife asks you for upkeep money, would you throw your hands about? We want you to come out and apologise to the caterers all over the country, else, what we shall do to you, you wait,” the furious Madam Cudjoe requested.
By Kweku Antwi-Otoo|OnuaNews|Onuaonline.com
