The General Manager of Otimah Investment Limited, Bernice Ntiri Owusu says the role of cleaners and janitors at the workplace should not be underestimated especially during this Covid-19 era.
Speaking on the sidelines of an end-of-year party for staff of her company, Ms Owusu Ntiri said cleaners are often disrespected because of the job they do.

While expressing total displeasure about what she said was a near wholesale discrimination, she said cleaners across the country have been very instrumental in the fight against Covid-19 in Ghana.

She said the constant cleaning and fumigation of hospitals, schools, offices and other public spaces has helped the country in preventing what could have become a more severe spread of the deadly virus.

“Cleaners have been very instrumental in Ghana’s fight against COVID-19. When you visit institutions like banks, it is cleaners who clean door handles and surfaces and we have been told it is important that the cleaning is done continuously.

“I want to entreat Ghanaians to give janitors respect because they play a key role in our society. It is for this reason that we have organised this end-of-year party to celebrate with all our employees. I want to advise other cleaning companies to learn from what we have done and organize events that will reward and motivate their cleaners”, Ms Owusu Ntiri said.

For his part, the Executive Director of Otimah, Mr. Stephen Asiedu urged the employees to continue to work hard. He said Otimah Investment Limited will begin a massive awareness campaign across the country for employers to pay their cleaners and janitors well.

“We will start a campaign for the big institutions to recognize the role you play as cleaners. When you go to the western world, cleaners are well-paid but unfortunately, that is not the issue here in Ghana. So starting this year 2021, we will begin a nationwide campaign to get companies to pay better and higher”, he assured the workers.

Some of the employees who spoke to the media said they were afraid when it was first announced that Ghana had recorded cases of Covid-19 but they were trained and provided with all the necessary materials needed for the job by the management of Otimah.