National service personnel complains of exploitation in New Juaben

Koforidua, Jan. 7, GNA - A group of service personnel in the New Juabe= n Municipality, have expressed worry about the deduction of GH¢1.00 from th= eir allowances as bank charges by the Eastern Regional Secretariat of the National Service Scheme (NSS).

The group complained that GH¢1.00 each had been deducted from their October, November and December allowances as bank charges without any tangible explanation. According to the personnel, when they went to the bank to withdraw their monies, an extra 50Gp was again deducted from their allowances as ban= k charges at the time that the Secretariat had already deducted GH¢ 1.00 th= us making them pay two separate bank charges summing up to GH¢ 1.50 When Ghana News Agency (GNA) went to find out from the NSS staff who endorses service personnel 93blue cards" that enable them to access thei= r pay, they (staff) remarked 93what happens at the bank does not concern us; unless you go and ask them".

Later when the GNA enquired from the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Koforidua branch why they should deduct 50Gp as bank charges when the NSS had already deducted GH¢1.00, the bank official said 93we are not aware the NSS is doing that." Finding out further from some of the personnel in the Region whether they understood why the NSS and the bank deducted a sum of GH¢1.50 as ban= k charges from their allowances, they said they could not complain even thoug= h they felt cheated.