Members of the Ashanti Regional branch of Civil Servants Association (CSA) of Ghana on Thursday appealed to the government to order the Controller and Accountant General to pay the March salary with the six months arrears without any deductions to its members.
They have also called on the government to dismiss Mr. Christian Tetteh Sotti, the Controller and Accountant General, who they alleged had proved to be incompetent and inefficient since October 2006.
Addressing a press conference in Kumasi, Mr. Kwame Asamoah-Dwomoh, Ashanti Regional Chairman, CSA, said in January 2008, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the association and the government.
In the MOU, new pay levels were to reflect in the July 2008 salaries and that arrears from January to June should be paid as a lump sum in January, 2009.
He said at the end of January 2009, the arrears did not reflect on the pay vouchers of the workers and when the Controller and Accountant General's Office was contacted the explanation was that it would be paid by the middle of February but this did not happen.
He said the Controller and Accountant General's office cited computer and some other technical problems on the side of the consultants.
Mr. Asamoah-Dwomoh said following this, a meeting was arranged between the National Council of Labour and the Controller and Accountant General promised to pay the arrears at the end of March together with the March salary.
He said when March 2009 pay slips were received they realized that major deductions had taken place in almost all the samples given to members.
Here again the explanation was that "there has been an overpayment previously hence the deductions".
Mr. Asamoah-Dwomoh said they had been informed that all such deductions were completed in October and December 2008.