Accra, Sept. 16, GNA - Workers of the Electoral Commission (EC) on Tuesday called on government to correct the inherent distortions and disparities in the placement of staff with respect to job descriptions, qualifications and skills.
"Any further delay, beyond September this year, will endanger the spirit and commitment of the staff to the preparations towards delivering a credible voters' register, leading to free, fair and transparent elections in 2004."
These were contained in a letter signed by Mr Anthony Ekpedzor and Ms Rebecca Allotey, Chairman and Secretary, respectively of the EC branch of the Public Service Workers Union of the Trades Union Congress and sent to the Ministry of Finance on September 8, this year.
A copy of the letter, which is in the possession of the Ghana News Agency, was also copied to the Office of the President and the Vice President, Speaker of Parliament, Chief of Staff, the Majority and the Minority Leaders of Parliament and Chairmen of the Appellate Committee, Central Management Board and the EC.
The letter said: "The issue is that the Commission is not asking for any special basic salary above what is pertaining in the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS).
"The Chairman of the Appellate Committee has always pleaded for more time to approve of the levels for implementation. Our patients have eventually eroded this time.
"We consider that it will be unacceptable for the Commission to continue to pay the current unattractive, uncompetitive and very deplorable salary whilst the staff prepare for the series of exercise, demarcation of electoral boundaries, replacement of the voters' register and the ultimate elections, 2004."
It said the Independent status of the Commission, with the constitutional mandate to conduct free and fair elections, should not only be limited to free and fair elections.
It must also involve improving the poor working conditions of the workers, who receive salaries that were 35 to 50 per cent below that approved under the GUSS.
It entreated the Appellate Committee to enjoin the Ministry of Finance to approve for implementation the classified structure without the distortions as suggested by the PriceWaterHouseCoopers Consultants with regard to the GUSS scale to put the staff on their rightful levels. The letter reminded the Minister that the Commission was a primary provider of peace and stability in the country.
It called for the immediate release of the mandate from the Ministry of Finance for negotiation of the expired Collective Bargaining Agreement to be concluded with EC Management to enable the Commission to factor a possible additional expenditure into its budget for the 2004 fiscal year.
