Eastern Region: Service personnel to receive Jan. allowance from March 23

The Public Relations Officer of the National Service Scheme, Ambrose Entsiwah, says service personnel in the Eastern Region will receive their January allowances from Monday, March 23.

In an interview with Radio Ghana in Koforidua, Mr Entsiwah explained that the nonpayment was due to undue delay by the Regional Secretariat in submitting the monthly return forms of personnel.

He said the forms have to undergo careful auditing at the district, regional and national levels before payment vouchers can be processed for cheques to be released for payment. 

Mr Entsiwah noted that the process is long and strenuous, hence the delay.

He said he believes that with the migration from manual to electronic payment through the E-zwich card on the Ghana Interbank Payments and Settlement platform, the processing time will be significantly reduced and payments will be done much earlier.

Responding to why most personnel have still not received their identity cards seven months into the service year, Mr Entsiwah explained that the Scheme has to deduct the fee from personnel's initial allowances to be able to pay the producers of the card, as the Secretariat has no money to pay up front.

It is to prevent this that personnel are being asked to pay their online registration fee in advance starting from the 2015/2016 Service Year.

On whether service personnel will benefit from the 16.7% minimum wage increment announced in the 2015 Budget Statement, Mr Entsiwah indicated that as the increment is not across board, only those earning below the minimum wage are covered.

He, however, assured that Transport and Travelling allowances will be paid to all personnel who have had to travel from their normal places of residence to their service stations.

This allowance, he said, will be paid at the end of the service period.

GBC