CAGD, PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS AND GHANA CARD

The Controller and Accountant General's Department in the past days has directed all public sector workers to have a Ghana Card or forfeit their salaries from December, 2021. The CAGD stated that as part of their effort to fight against ghost names and double salaries. 

This directive has been met with some tough talking by some labour unions notably NAGRAT, whose president has opposed this move as one without proper consultation and a means of denying teachers their fair wages. He has demanded a reversal of that decision until further consultations with the various unions. 

But I disagree with the union leaders. If we all remember, most of the personnel the National Identification Authority relied on for the mass registration were teacher as was with the Electoral Commission and the Statistical Service for the just ended elections and census respectively. Can the union leaders tell Ghanaians the percentage of public sector workers who were denied, refused or were unable to register? Is it anyone's fault that such persons were not registered? And per their numbers, why is two month not enough to get all public sector workers without the Ghana card registered? 

We are always quick to draw attention to leakages of public funds but are quick to fight every effort to plug those holes. I am of the firm belief that what the CAGD seeks to achieve will bear fruits and as such must strictly work with their timelines, maybe with some extension of date.

It is however refreshing to note that the CAGD has suspended that directive and decided to communicate with the NIA to enroll those already registered. The CAGD will then publish the names of those who are yet to register and give them ample time to register. This is good news.

Notwithstanding this development, NAGRAT and other labour unions must rather be proposing innovative ways of getting their members registered onto the Ghana Card rather than totally rubbishing this directive. They can propose the setting up of registration centres in their district directorates purposely to conveniently get public sector workers registered to avoid losing their salaries. And to public sector workers who are yet to register on the Ghana Card, get registered and pay no heed to your union leaders. They are registered already.

©C. A. Acheampong

Prempeh College

Political Analyst

0240122535