It is what it is, either Ghana card or no salary – CAGD to labour unions
The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has declined the labour union’s request to withdraw the directive asking public sector employees to acquire the national identification card by December 1, 2021, or forfeit their salaries.
Mr Cephas Narh Dosso, the Head of Public Relations at CAGD, confirmed the Department’s decision in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday, saying it was the best method to address difficulties in the payroll system.
He disclosed that Section 8(4) of the Public Financial Management Act of 2016 (Act 921), among other things, required the CAGD to accept, disburse, and secure public funds.
Mr Dosso stated that as a Department that deals with about 500,000 government employees, it was vital to put in place safeguards to maintain the payroll’s integrity at all times.
“We have a payroll that is incumbent by about five hundred thousand government employees nationwide and as a department, over the years, the CAGD have been instituting measures that will ensure the integrity of the payroll is maintained at all times,” Mr Cephas Narh Dosso.
He instead advised various government agencies and labour unions to educate and encourage their members to obtain the cards before the deadline.
“We appreciate the concerns by our unions because they are our major stakeholders but, however, what we will think we should be considering now is that we need to urge our colleague workers to avail themselves and go through the registration process. For now, the deadline is not today and so the best thing to do is to avail ourselves. When we get to the deadline we will review the data and I am sure the right decisions will be taken by the right authorities,” he added.
Mr Dosso’s response came after the labour unions call on the department to reconsider the decision that direct government employees to acquire the Ghana Card before December or get their salaries withheld.
Source: Richard Mensah Adonu | Join our Telegram Group
