Ranking member for the Finance Committee of Parliament has advised government to expedite action on the redundancy phase of the public sector wage reforms.
According to Dr Anthony Osei Akoto, the reforms include job cuts which government has not had the political will to execute.
Ghana currently spends about 70percent of its income generated to pay government workers, this accounting for a huge budget deficit.
Dr Akoto Osei speaking to Citi Business News argued that government only has up to the end of this year to do it else will have dire consequences.
“In the single spine frame work, retrenchment was part of the plan, but it has not been done and if it is not been done soon, politically after 2014, you have lost it. As early as possible you implement it so people get used to it. But it looks like we have lost it,” he said.
He explained that “it was part of the implementation plan over a five year period. As you pay more you bring the right people. First, the ministry was supposed to do an assessment. They did not do so. First it must be done so we know government is credible. Government projects to bring deficit to 8.5%. Right now there is nothing that shows we will get there.”
According to him, “confidence will be lost, we have been there before and we don’t want that to happen again.”
By: Anim Kwaku Boadu/citifmonline.com/Ghana