Delay in Salaries: It's Not Funny Anymore!

It has been the norm in the public sector that salaries are paid a few days earlier before the end of the month.

At the beginning of each year, the Controller and Accountant General's Department released a signed document stating the dates for which salaries would be paid to the public sector workers each month. This helps workers financially plan their month.

It is very unfortunate that the CAGD have breached its own timelines as regards salary payments for the past two months (February and March) while keeping expectant workers in the dark as to when they would be paid. February and March Salaries were expected to be paid on 25th January and February respectively according to CAGD but were both delayed by at least 6 days.

It is quite surprising that we just entered April with the salaries for March still yet to be paid. Few banks who have started paying from yesterday are only doing so with their own money while awaiting monies from the government.

In a Volta Regional tour of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in the Akatsi South District, Mr. Thomas T. Musah, the General Secretary for GNAT is purported to have hinted on the payment of salaries from next week because monies would be sent to banks on Friday 1st April and may reflect from next week. This corroborates with responses from earlier inquiries from various banks who all confirmed that vouchers were sent to them without monies.

In the face of an egregious breach of payment timelines, the CAGD owe workers an explanation wrapped in an apology for this unprecedented and undue delay in salary payment. The CAGD should also review their payment schedule if they feel they cannot meet the earlier timelines for planning purposes.