Chief Executive Officer for the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Benjamin Arthur, has cautioned public sector workers to advise themselves, especially with regards to taking underserving salaries.

According to him, the Commission has today, Monday April 4, 2023, begun its nationwide payroll monitoring exercise from the camp of the Internal Audit Agency – a move which was announced a few weeks ago with the aim of cleaning up the public sector payroll of any anomalies.

“We thought that our house should be clean, so we have asked them (Internal Audit Agency) to do their own internal auditing and share the report with us so that we will also verify. We want to announce to the general public especially to publicize sector entities and workers that this exercise is not a joke and that it is a very serious exercise. If you know you are not deserving of what you are taking, advise yourself accordingly.”
Benjamin Arthur

The announcement was met with reservations from the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG). However, the Commission explained that in line with the Commission’s Act 2007 (737), it is mandated to develop and monitor allowances and benefits of public sector workers among others.

Reacting to this, the Internal Audit Agency has revealed that it is ready to partner with the Commission to bring sanity to government’s payroll.

Payroll infractions by public sector workers in the country

The Director-General for the Internal Audit Agency, Dr Eric Osae, indicated that some institutions and public Universities have emerged as institutions with the most payroll infractions over the period. He explained that the trend must be reversed as soon as possible.

“You take the educational and health service sectors of Ghana and local government sectors, and you see that there are challenges there. I am not saying it is widespread in these sectors, but they are risky areas that demand an eye on the payrolls or else it will keep bloating. The other areas include tertiary institutions. There are people who go on sabbatical leave with some never returning but get paid.”
Dr Eric Osae

The exercise, per the FWSC’s intention, is to correct issues like overpayment, underpayment, ghost names, and other anomalies in the public sector payment structure. To this end, the Internal Audit Agency has assured that it will pursue public sector workers using state vehicles for unofficial duties while the government is made to pay for maintenance.

Meanwhile, the Director General of the Internal Audit Agency has highlighted that there are categories of ghost workers using state vehicles and thereby collecting money for maintenance and other expenses. Owing to this, the agency has also warned that it will apply the law to the latter to ensure that person’s earning salaries and allowances in the public sector for no work done are dealt with.

“Some people have turned themselves into vehicle contractors and go around assigning vehicles to non-existence workers, so they could go for car maintenance allowance for themselves. Let me sound a warning to you that if you know you’re in such group of people then better advise yourself because sections of the criminal law give us the authority to prosecute you.”
Dr Eric Osae

Furthermore, Dr Osae has assured that the agency will be instrumental in the assignment to make it a success.