Butchers at the Bolgatanga Slaughter house have embarked on a sit-down strike to register their disquiet about their eviction from their current site at Sawaba opposite the GOIL Filling station along the Bolga- Zuarungu Highway to the new abattoir at Yorogo.
The Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly as part of its decongestion and reorganization of the business district is relocating the butchers to a newly constructed ultramodern abattoir at Yorogo, a suburb of Bolgatanga.
The Hon. Municipal Chief Executive Officer of the Bolgatanaga Municipal Assembly on Monday 17th January,2022 disclosed to Mr. Simon Agana on the Word Community Watch on Word FM that the butchers will be moved to the new site on Tuesday, 18th January,2022. He said the sanitation officers and the veterinary officers will not report at the old site. “The sanitation and veterinary officers will report to the new site at Yorogo tomorrow.
But, the butchers are resisting the relocation to the new facility, siting its proximity to the Bolga Central Market and the livestock market as a factor.
Mr.Tindazor , the chief of the butchersin an interview on the Word Community Watch Show, said they are not able to move to the new abattoir as directed by the assembly because it is far from town and also fear that they will lose their jobs as the distance of the new place will means extra cost on their part to cart the animals from the livestock market which is in Bolgatanga to the abattoir at Yorogo.
“We have not moved because the place is far and the livestock market is very far from the new site. We will spend about Gh50.00 cedis to transport a cow from town to Yorogo and pay same amount to transport the meat back to the market, so if they bring the animals near the abattoir, we will move there”
The Chief of the abattoir said they will only relocate to the new facility if the assembly addresses their concerns.
The MCE of the Bolgatanga Municipality has however refuted the reasons for their refusal to relocate to the new site. “Distance has been their excuse for the past four years and we can’t continue to lock the facility because the place is far. Everywhere in the municipality is far but people move from other places to the market to buy whatever they want. We have to move to other places to develop our municipality holistically.”
Hon.Rex Asanaga also said the assembly has made available a van to transport meat from the abattoir to the market for sale.
A visit to the old slaughter house saw about 200 butchers gathered at the old abattoir with empty sheds and stands.
The Municipal Chief Executive Officer, Hon. Rex Asanga says he will not relent on his position to move the butchers to the new place.
The meat sellers at various parts of the municipality in solidarity with the butchers have also refused to open their meat shops to serve the public.
The new abattoir is an ultramodern facility fitted with up to date machines to enhance the work of butchers.
By: Simon Agana Blessing/mywordfmonline.com