NPP using 'carrot and stick' approach to dismiss, transfer workers - NDC Youth Wing

The National Youth Wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has slammed the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) over what it describes as, political transfers at the Youth Employment Authority (YEA).

National Youth Organizer of the NDC, Sidii Abubakar in the statement said the NPP after taking over power is deliberately dismissing legitimate workers.

A major shake-up hit YEA recently over alleged fraud of over GHc50 million. The transfers affected 200 workers an exercise which is intended to reposition the agency for higher productivity.

But the youth wing of the NDC believes the exercise was nothing but a deliberately political action meant to frustrate workers.

The statement said: ‘’The recent mass transfers at the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) is most condemnable and an outright violation of the ACT establishing the YEA…’’

According to the statement: ‘’…YEA is mandated to provide transfer grants to all workers before transferring them to other stations of the agency in order to facilitate their movement.

But ‘’the NPP has however refused to make these grants available to facilitate their relocation whiles at the same time, giving the transferred workers limited time to move or lose their jobs - a clear case of carrot and stick approach to victimise and replace legitimately employed workers with NPP members,’’ the statement added

Below is the full statement:

NPP MUST STOP POLITICALLY MOTIVATED TRANSFERS & DISMISSALS AT YEA

The Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is calling on the extremely divisive NPP Government of Nana Akuffo Addo to desist, with immediate effect, from the wanton, discriminatory and politically motivated transfers and dismissals of legitimately employed Ghanaian youth in State Institutions.

It has become government policy since the NPP assumed power barely six months ago, to dismiss legitimately employed workers who are perceived to be aligned to the NDC from the National Service Secretariat, the Cocobod, NADMO, and many other state institutions without justifiable reasons.

Workers with unexpired contracts and duly signed appointment letters have not been spared by the NPP government’s vindictive machinery.

The recent mass transfers at the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) is most condemnable and an outright violation of the ACT establishing the YEA which is funded through the following taxes from all Ghanaians:

a) moneys approved by Parliament for the Agency;

b) eight percent of communication service tax;

c) ten percent of the District Assemblies Common Funds subject to the formula approved by Parliament in accordance with article 252 of the Constitution.

d) five percent of the Ghana Education Trust Fund subject to the fomula approved by parliament in accordance with the Ghana Education Trust Fund Act, 2000 (Act 581); and e) donations, gift and grants

It is therefore very obvious that The NPP is not the source of funding for the YEA and so cannot abuse the Agency and use it for political vendetta or for the sole benefit of NPP members.

The YEA is mandated to provide transfer grants to all workers before transferring them to other stations of the agency in order to facilitate their movement.

The NPP has however refused to make these grants available to facilitate their relocation whiles at the same time, giving the transferred workers limited time to move or lose their jobs - a clear case of carrot and stick approach to victimise and replace legitimately employed workers with NPP members.

We demand that the YEA releases the transfer grants immediately for the transferred workers.

Failure to do so in the next seven days will compel us to do legitimate things not only to stall the work of YEA, but also employ all legitimate tools to express our utmost anger and gross displeasure to make governing Ghana extremely difficult for the NPP since they want to make life unbearable for Ghanaians who are not NPP.

We call on all youth transferred by YEA to various parts of the country without their transfer grants, to disobey the directive unless and until the transfer grants are paid. We warn the YEA authorities to be mindful that any attempt to dismiss these transferred youth for not obeying the directive will meet public indignation and proportionate reaction from us.

President Nana Akuffo Addo must think again, if this is the sort of change he promised. We voted change for all Ghanaians, but not for some selected Ghanaians belonging to NPP.

We however hope the International Community and the Foreign Missions in Ghana are keenly following these unpatriotic attempts by the Nana Akuffo Addo government to subvert the proper functioning of State Institutions for the benefit of their party followers and at the expense of the entire nation.

We are surprised that Civil Society and the Clergy are so far turning a blind eye to this nauseating "Winner Takes All" attitude, and have failed to condemn these acts that threaten good governance in our country. We hope that these Groups will in future also not condemn such acts when the tables turn and another political party other than the NPP, forms a new Government.

The Nana Akufo-Addo led clueless NPP and moribund Administration is destroying the social cohesion of Mother Ghana and we shall resist thus oppressive draconian rule with all our "will and might forevermore".

Sign.

Sidii Abubakar Musah

NDC National Youth Organiser