Several public sector workers across the country have broken their silence over the delays in the payment of their salaries.
Some junior doctors in the country who have not been paid for 11 months have appealed to government to ensure their salaries are paid.
[contextly_sidebar id=”w9ribDJfMgMJNNvwc3wdRanQiN1HrV44″]The junior doctors have threatened to occupy the office of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department if their issue are not addressed.
Meanwhile some public sector workers who called to the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday said they were facing similar challenges.
Over 300 nurses not paid
In the Volta Region, a psychiatric nurse, Theophilus Doh lamented that over 300 of his colleagues have not received their salaries in the last twelve months.
“I was posted to the Volta Region with some other nurses, including general nurses, midwives, rural and community health nurses. Some of us were posted to the region from around April 2013. I received my appointment letter in November that same year. The issue is that most of the appointment letters delayed so the payment processes also delayed.”
He said, “It took about 14 months before our salaries were worked on and they paid us only three months. We were made to follow some due processes… which we complied with, and as at now, we don’t know the state of our salary arrears. They told us that the issue has to do with the Ministry of Finance. The salary arrears range from six to twelve months.”
“In the Volta region we are not less than 300. I’m owed ten months’ salary. We have not heard anything from them,” Mr. Doh said adding that the situation is the same in other regions in the country.
NADMO personnel unpaid for 22 months
Ganiu, a personnel from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) also complained bitterly saying he, among others have worked for the past 22 months without pay.
“I am a NADMO staff. We’ve been employed since 2013 October, and we were told salaries will come but to no avail. We were later informed to do a biometric registration and as I speak, this is the seventh month. Cumulatively, for the over 21 months, our salaries will not be up to a monthly salary of a deputy minister, and yet they can’t even pay us,” he added.
GES worker complains
A teacher in Begoro, Ken also sharing his ordeal on the Citi Breakfast Show, said he has not been paid in the last ten months.
“When I call them, they tell me that they are working on it.”
Another staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Philip from Suhum in the Eastern Region, lamented that he has since October 2012, when he was appointment not received any salary till date.
“The saddest thing is that when you visit their offices, they don’t even care. I’ve worked with the GES close to three years now. So far, I’ve lost count but it’s about two years ten months, and I’ve received nothing. My mother and few benevolent people have been supporting me.”
It’s the fault of the workers
Meanwhile, Yaw from East Legon also speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, blamed the delay in payment of salaries on the public workers.
He argued that “the reason why some of these things are happening is because some people use to back-date their employment details. This whole SSNIT number thing was started last year. Controller started sending memos to the various institutions since last year. If you delve into the issue, you will see that it’s sometimes the fault of the people and not the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.”
Click below to listen to the comments by some of the public sector workers:
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin