Replacing civil servants with political appointees unacceptable – Minority Leader

The Minority in Parliament has backed calls by civil servants for the removal of political appointees serving variously as special assistants in the Ministries.

Minority Leader, Haruna Idrisu, said it was “completely unacceptable” for ministers to replace public sector workers “who are in their positions on account of merit with large numbers of Political Appointees and Special Assistants thus relegating highly experienced professionals to the background.”

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) are up in arms with the Nana Akufo-Addo administration, claiming the President’s Ministers have swamped the Ministries with ‘Special Assistants’ and political aides, performing functions that the civil servants have been recruited to do.

The justification, usually, has been that civil servants are lazy and inefficient in delivering tasks assigned them. Political heads, therefore, usually seek to rely on trusted hands.
Executive Secretary, Isaac Bampoe-Addo rejected this claim, accusing the Finance Ministry, Ken Ofori-Atta of rendering him and some of his colleagues virtually redundant.

Read: Finance Ministry has over 30 special assistants -CLOGSAG to clear out job-snatchers

The Minority Leader in a solidarity message to commemorate Workers’ Day on Tuesday, May 1, 2018, said the government must end the practice.

“In a number of these cases, workers have either been rendered redundant or lost their jobs completely exposing them and their families to excruciating levels of hardship and misery. This is completely unacceptable!”

Read below, the Minority’s statement saluting workers:

1st May, 2018.

[Parliament House, Accra]

On the occasion of May Day 2018, the National Democratic Congress Minority in Parliament wishes to salute the gallant workers of Ghana.

We use this occasion to reiterate our unflinching solidarity for the working people of our beloved Ghana and assure the working class that we are partners in the joint struggle to eliminate oppressive working conditions that undermine the dignity of labour and hold back the realization of the full potentials of the working class.

We wish on this occasion to express our support for the working people in their just demands on Government to make the lives of working people both at their work places and homes more tolerable. In particular, we wish to join Organized Labour in demanding that Government respects the inalienable right of workers to security of tenure without undue harassment and political intimidation.

Accordingly, we lend our voice to the demand of Organized Labour on Government to end the specter of replacing public sector workers who are in their positions on account of merit with large numbers of Political Appointees and Special Assistants thus relegating highly experienced professionals to the background.




In a number of these cases, workers have either been rendered redundant or lost their jobs completely exposing them and their families to excruciating levels of hardship and misery.  This is completely unacceptable!

We also wish to take this opportunity to commend the hardworking people of Ghana for continuously striving to deliver in very difficult and challenging circumstances. We in the Minority wish to urge them to continue to give off their best and step up productivity in the supreme interest of our dear Nation.

We wish on this occasion once again to stress the commonality of our links as people on the same social strata and to assure them that we would always stand by them.

Long live the Working Class!

Long live the NDC!!

Long live the Republic of Ghana!!!

Signed

HARUNA IDDRISU (MP).

Minority Leader, Parliament of Ghana.

 

 

Source:Myjoyonline