NDC exposes selective salaries

The “Ghanaian Voice” can today reveal that secretaries who service the President and Vice President, Secretaries of Ministers, are all being given special allowances.

Secretaries of Deputy Ministers, and Regional Ministers, secretaries of chief directors and indeed Regional Coordinating directors are all being given preferential treatment, which are not available to secretaries and other auxiliary workers in other sections of the civil service.

The “Ghanaian Voice” has gathered that apart from these categories of workers, who service the above members of the executive arm of government others also receive some special treatment.

According to a Ministry of Finance letter debentured on 23/10/2001, secretaries in the President and Vice President’s offices are given 40 per cent of their gross salaries as allowances whilst secretaries of Ministers take home 30 per cent of the gross of their salaries outside their normal salaries.

These revelations in connection with this special treatment given to these category of persons were made known on Joy FM, a local radio, in one of the station’s programme last Friday by Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, Minority Spokesperson on Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises!

The Finance ministry’s letter was however chanced upon by this paper. Signed by Mr J.A. Amoah Chief Director on behalf of Ministry of Finance, it also mentioned that secretaries of Deputy Ministers have the advantage of 25 per cent of their gross salary.

To enable compliance to this directive, this letter was copied to all sector Ministers, Deputy Ministers, all Regional Ministers, Deputy Regional Ministers and the Acting of Head of Civil Service.

To register their objection to this unfair treatment of other workers, the Minority Spokesperson Hon Ama Benyiwa Doe has signed a Minority press release drawing attention to this divisive and otherwise less publicised position of the Hon. Minister of Finance.