Castle staffs weep over Ghc3.00 allowance

Talk about going hungry in the midst of plenty! The National Democratic Congress (NDC) party and government is today spending money as if it grows on tress, but at the same time, there is wailing and gnashing of teeth at the presidency, the seat of government.

Domestic and maintenance staffs working over the presidency are becoming increasingly restive over are refusal of the ‘Better Ghana Dramani’ government to pay them their miserly allowance of GHC3.00 a day that they are entitled to receive as overtime pay.

According to the workers, they have not received this allowance since February of this year.

A delegation of the workers who visited the Daily Searchlight told this newspaper that they work as domestic and maintenance staff responsible for serving meals, beverages and other facilities to the President, and staff and visitors at the seat of government.

Due to the nature of their employment they are also pressed to work at the private residences of the President and other senior top officials at the presidency.

They said that on top of that they are responsible for the maintenance of systems at the Castle such as electrical, plumbing and other faults and often they are also pressed to work in the private residence of the President and his family.

They said that they are therefore forced to work during the evenings and even on public holidays when everybody else is resting.

“But my brother, can you believe that since February they have not paid us our allowances? What is even more painful is that the allowances are a miserly Ghc3.00 per day of overtime.

We see them carrying all these huge sums of monies around and we hear and see them doing all manner of dubious things but they won’t pay us the little that should come to us,” the workers, who were nearly weeping, told Daily Searchlight.

They warned that if their allowances are not paid within the shortest possible time, the people withholding what they are legitimately entitled to would feel their sting.