Civil
servants in the country are angry with the presidency for flouting the
1992 Constitution and offering contracts to over 65-year-old retired
civil servants.
This practice by the government of enrolling
persons 65 years and above onto the payroll further bloats the wage
bill, thereby denying potential job seekers the opportunity to work.
According
to the civil servants, the Flag Staff House has now resorted to
appointing retired directors and chief directors of Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who have are 65 years and above as
advisors and consultants, even though the MDAs have not requested for
such people.
These offers of contract flies in the face of the
law, as those requiring contract extensions are to write to the Head of
Civil Service, who has been mandated to execute that duty, and not the
presidency. In addition, persons aged 65 years do not qualify for
contract extension.
This action does not only deny the youth the
opportunity to be employed but also endangers the demands of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) for government to reduce the wage bill
from over 50% to tax revenue to 35% of tax revenue.
This clearly
violates Article 191, Section 1 of the 1992 Republic of Ghana
Constitution, which reads: “A public officer shall, except as otherwise
provided in this Constitution, retire from the public service on
attaining the age of sixty years.”
The constitution also provides
that retired public servants whose services are critically needed by
the state qualify for contract extension up to age 65.
Information gathered by The Finder indicates that the Flagstaff House is divided over the issue.
While
some aides to the President are against the practice on grounds that it
is illegal, others are said to be supporting the illegality.
Some
senior government officials at the presidency are said to be issuing
orders directing the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to give
approval for the over 65-year-olds to be enrolled onto the government
payroll as technical advisors and consultants.
Mr David Yaro,
former Chief Director at the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional
Affairs, who is over 65-years old, has been appointed Administrator
General at the newly created Administrator-General of Presidential
Estates Unit.
His office falls under Article 71 post which means he would retire again at age 70.
Mr Yaro’s contract letter was written by former Executive Secretary to the President, Dr Raymond Atuguba.
Mr
L.B. Tusoe, 65, retired Chief Director, Office of the President, has
been appointed Technical Advisor at the Presidency. Mr Tusoe was born on
August 28, 1950.
He, therefore, turned 65 this month. Despite
the fact that Mr Tusoe retired five years ago and worked under contract
for an additional five years, he has been offered another contract,
which is unconstitutional.
Mr Maurice Tanko Abissa-Seidu, former
Chief Director at the Ministry of Agriculture, who was 65-years old in
January this year, has been appointed consultant to the ministry, and
the Civil Service is being asked to process him onto the payroll.
Ministry
of Agriculture retired engineer, J.K. Boamah, who is 63-years old, has
been offered contract and is acting as Chief Director.
What is
even intriguing is that Mr Boamah’s wife, Mrs Milly Kyofa Boamah, who
has retired and has no contract extension, continues to receive salary
as head of Plant Protection and Regulatory Service Directorate.
Information
gathered by The Finder indicates that Mr Boamah has written to the
service seeking contract extensions for his wife, Mrs Milly Kyofa
Boamah, to continue to head the Plant Protection and Regulatory Service
Directorate.
The civil servants alleged that suitable candidates
who have been trained with taxpayers’ money and are capable of heading
the Plant Protection and Regulatory Service Directorate have been
deliberately transferred to the local government service in order to
keep Mrs Boamah at post under the pretext that there is no one qualified
to occupy that post.
Major Rtd. Tara Mahama, Chief Director of
the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP), is due for
retirement when he attains 65 in October this year, but the angry civil
servants suspect he could also be given additional contract.
The
Auditor-General’s report on the Public Account of Ghana for the year
ended December 31, 2010 indicates that there were over 600 government
workers aged between 60 and 110 years who were still on the Ghana
government’s payroll.
Most of the public officers on contract,
after retiring at age 60, are mainly in the state security apparatus;
namely, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF); the Ghana Police Service (GPS);
the Ghana Immigration Service; Customs, Excise and Preventive Service
(CEPS); and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS). |
| |
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment