Castle Boys Fight Over Cash

John Martey Newman

Confusion is raging over the salaries of members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who were employed to work at National Security and the Seat of Government since the party came to power this year, and 'betrayal' best describes their mood.

DAILY GUIDE has information that the said workers have pounced on the Chief of Staff, Martey Newman, for their unpaid salaries and have threatened to prove their importance and defend their rights if the money is not released to them.  

They have also threatened that unless they are given the money due them, they would expose any party appointee who receives any 'back door' envelop or money for logistics and party work.

While many of them have not received any salary since they were employed in February this year, a handful of them were given only two months' salary  a few weeks ago, with an explanation that the rest would not be paid them because their working conditions had just been regularized.

The workers are mostly security operatives around the President and his Vice, Protocol Officers, office attendants, drivers and 'hangers-on' who were employed on the basis of their party loyalty and not through the main stream civil service.

Reports say since February, the workers were given a monthly allowance of GH¢300 each until last month when they protested and insisted on receiving salaries and not allowances.

The Chief of Staff was thus directed to prepare their salaries, but they became more infuriated when Mr. Newman, after the said preparation of salaries, handed them a two-month's salary each, with some of them receiving nothing.

To make matters worse, many of them had their allowances slashed by as much as 50 percent, with an explanation that things would get better soon so they should hold on for better times ahead.

The explanation seems not to have gone down well with the workers who insist their contribution to the party's victory is not different from that of other party appointees who are believed to be receiving bigger booties and living in luxury.

The workers have explained that they feel cheated because a number of persons who were passive during the campaign for power and many others who were not even part of the campaign, have been given lucrative appointments while some even travel with the President and enjoy juicy booties in the name of the party.

By Halifax Ansah-Addo