Former Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Acheampong, has taken a swipe at the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, for attributing the ongoing salary delays of newly recruited nurses, teachers, and junior doctors to the previous administration.
In an interview on Accra-based Channel One TV, Mr. Acheampong described Dr. Pelpuo’s remarks as “unfortunate” and “misguided.”
He stressed that recruitment into the public sector adheres to strict financial and administrative protocols that prevent arbitrary appointments.
Mr. Acheampong’s comments come after Dr Pelpuo blamed the delays in salary payments on what he termed poor recruitment practices and fiscal indiscipline under the former Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government.
Questioning the minister’s assertions, Mr. Acheampong said it was puzzling that such statements were made without consideration for the legal and procedural frameworks governing public sector employment.
“Sometimes I listen to the rhetoric of some of our colleagues, and here, it is being attributed to Dr. Rashid Pelpuo. I ask myself why someone with so much experience would say this? We know what our issues are.
“You only fill vacancies in the public space when there are availabilities. If people have not retired or created new desks, how do you recruit into the public space?” he said.
He clarified that all public sector recruitments must first receive financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance to ensure fiscal prudence and prevent unapproved expenditures.
“Before any recruitment is sanctioned, the Ministry of Finance must have obtained clearance. All those who were recruited at the time sought approval from the ministry. When the ministry grants clearance, it specifies when to begin recruitment because it is responsible for mobilizing the revenue to ensure the process is sustainable,” he explained.
Mr. Acheampong argued that the ongoing salary delays cannot be attributed to the previous administration, noting that verification and validation processes, meant to ensure transparency, often require time to complete.
“Why is it that members of government who are just nine months in office are saying they haven’t paid officialdom yet? It is because of the processes involved for transparency’s sake. Some validations and other procedures must take place,” he said.
Source : Adomonline