Greater Accra civil servants confirm Chigabatita's suspension

Accra, Dec. 5, GNA- Members of the Greater Accra Regional Executive Council of the Civil Servants' Association of Ghana (CSAG), have "expressed strong support and endorsement" of its National President's decision to suspend three national officers.

The three are Mr Smart Chigabattia, Executive Secretary, the Deputy Executive Secretary, Mr Kojo Krakani and the Director of Administration and Staff Development, Ms Helen Afi Gadzekpo.

These were contained in a statement signed on Wednesday by Mr J. L. A. Quarshie, Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the Association. It this was part of a six-point resolution adopted at a two-day Regional Executive Council meeting held at Ada-Foah in the Dangme East District, to take stock of the region's activities and the Association as a whole.

The statement indicated that Council members at the meeting did not agree with "the staggering of the salary arrears" from October 2007 to September 2008, taking into consideration the implications of the proposed implementation and payment of the single-spine public salary structure which was supposed to come into force by June 2008. It said the Council further recommended that in view of the current socio-economic difficulties as a result of massive increases in prices of both fuel and other utilities, "government should find a candid way to cushion Civil Servants as an interim measure to mitigate the effect of the current hardships."

The statement said the problems facing the regions with regard to expected deductions by the Controller and Accountant General's office for purchases made by individual civil servants as well as other public servants under the region's hire purchase facilities were becoming rather overwhelming.

It said this required the active intervention of the national Secretariat and possibly government to be able to recover the huge debts owed to their creditors to sustain the facility.