Terminate Contracts Of Retirees Holding Posts; Ablakwa Orders Akufo-Addo
The Member of Parliament for the Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has called for the termination of appointments of retirees holding various positions in the country in public and civil services.
The MP observes that this contributes to the record-high unemployment rate among the youth in Ghana.
“A country facing record high unemployment as captured by the 2021 Population and Housing Census of 13.4% and 32.8% for those aged 15-24 which is further aggravated by the current debilitating economic crisis should not be keeping so many retirees on contract in the public service”, his post on Facebook said.
According to him, there are currently more than sixty retirees on contract within the Civil and Local Government Services with a much higher number under the public sector.
“So far, I have counted hundreds of these retirees who have been engaged on multiple post-retirement contracts by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government when they should be home enjoying their pensions instead of denying many qualified young Ghanaians employment opportunities.
“There are as many as 63 retirees on contract within the Civil and Local Government Services as of today, and even more than this number under other public sector categories.”
He also observes that this hampers career development among the youth and drains morale in the country’s public sector.
“Apart from serving as a blockade to prospective young Ghanaians with public sector ambitions, the phenomenon is stifling career progression and lowering morale in Ghana’s public sector. Equally troubling — some of those contracts we are reviewing are palpably unconstitutional.”
Accordingly, he’s asked the President to immediately terminate these contracts and replace them with the youth through “a transparent, credible and meritorious recruitment process for our suffering youth — as we demand that this time he eschews his reckless penchant for Family/Friends/Akonta shenanigans”.
In August, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT-G) and Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) rose against a retirement contract extension granted to former Deputy Director-General of the GES, Mr Anthony Boateng.
According to the four teacher unions, Mr Boateng had long clocked the retirement age and so had to go.
“Leadership of the unions in the Pre-tertiary education having assessed the situation and concerns calls on the former Deputy Director General (MS) of the GES, Mr Anthony Boateng to respectfully decline the offer from the president and the Ministry of Education”, the Unions stated in a communique.
They further called on the Director-General of the GES then to direct all retired persons holding positions in the Service to lay their tools down and proceed on mandatory retirement.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
