National Service Chaps Fume Over Salary Deductions

THERE IS grumbling among national service personnel at Upper West region, following the deduction of ?2,000 and ?6,000 from their meager allowances to pay for Cost Of Transfer (COT) and 'Positive Change' book respectively.

Chronicle gathered that these amounts, especially ?2,000, was deducted from the personnel's allowances without any explanation. The service personnel also contended that the positive change book was imposed on them and the money is being deducted from their allowances.

Some of the service personnel from the Upper West who spoke to the Chronicle demanded an explanation from the government and threatened to embark on demonstration to register their anger at what they called unlawful and compulsory deductions from their meager allowances.

When Chronicle reached the Upper West regional acting coordinator of the National Service, Mr. George Naanwinyelle Dasah, to comment on the issues, he rubbished the personnel's assertion.

He explained that it is rather ?1,000 that is being deducted from the allowances, while the ?6,000 is for a national service brochure which was specially designed towards the 30th anniversary of the national service.

When asked what makes the brochure more special, the coordinator noted that it contains relevant information about the achievements of the former service personnel.

This, he explained, would help all the personnel to emulate the achievements that had been chalked by the ex-personnel to encourage them to prove themselves better.

Mr. Naanwinyelle said the deduction of the money took effect in May, this year and would end in August.

He denied the sale of the 'Positive Change' book and contended that it is given to the personnel free of charge.

When asked the basis of deducting ?1,000, Mr. Naanwinyelle said, it was a COT on ?150,000 cheques transferred by the Ghana Commercial Bank to a number of service personnel in the region, adding that this amount was used to cover the COT that was slapped on the cheques.

The head of accounts department at the NSS headquarters, Mr. Eddy Osei-Mensah, denied knowledge of the deductions of the ?2,000 or ?1,000, saying all the COTs are being paid by the headquarters' secretariat.

Expressing his dismay, he said he would crosscheck the information from the regional coordinator and bring it to the attention of the director general for action to be taken.

He said because certain regions, especially Upper West, are not operating in line with the GCB, special transfer has been undertaken by the secretariat to finance the COT.

According to him, because the COT affects the headquarters due to insufficient funds, the secretariat which is a subvented organization with less provision, is bent on negotiating with the GCB to consider slashing out the COT.