New minimum wage is "practically nothing" - Civil Servants
Communities threaten to take back land for agric show
Chief denies involvement in Akim Kotoku disturbance
Customers can now pay electricity bills in instalments
Vice President rounds off tour of Volta region
FAO boss appoints Deputy Regional Representative for Africa
New minimum wage is "practically nothing" - Civil Servants
Accra (Greater Accra) 12 June '99
The Civil Servants' Association of Ghana on Friday described the new minimum wage as "practically nothing."
Mr John N. O. Ankrah, Driector of Budget and Research, said in an interview in Accra that the new minimum wage announced two days ago "cannot do much for the average worker".
He said looking at the cost of living in the country the new minimum wage of 2,900 cedis is too small.
Mr Ankrah said Ghana is not operating the living wage system and does not factor components such as the number of dependants and wives into what goes into fixing the minimum wage.
He said the 45 per cent rise from 2,000 cedis is the first hike for about three years.
Meanwhile the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare has explained that the increase in the National Minimum Wage from 2,000 cedis to 2.900 cedis is not intended to replace the Medium to Long term wage policy of the government, usually referred to as Pricewater House.
Mr Austin Gamey, deputy minister of labour and social welfare said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the impact the new minimum wage would have on the implementation of the Pricewater House report.
Mr Gamey said the government as an employer has the responsibility to make upwards adjustment to the minimum wage if its (Pricewater House) Medium to Long term wage policy falls short of the National Daily Minimum Wage.
Reacting to calls for an increase up to five thousand cedis, Mr Gamey said, the new wage was fixed as a result of several factors including inflation level, general standard of living and other considerations in the economy including its impact on job security.
He said an increase to five thousand cedis " is unattainable and equally unsustainable".
Mr Gamey said, laid down procedures in Collective bargaining processes or other conditions of services will be encouraged to determine wage levels.
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Communities threaten to take back land for agric show
Nkawie (Ashanti Region) 12 June '99
Communities which gave out land for a National Agricultural Show centre at Nkawie are threatening to take it back for undue delays in implementing the programme.
Work on the project started about 10 years ago with the construction of a fish pond, a conference centre, an administration block, warehouses and telephone facilities. It has however come to a standstill for sometime now.
It is only the fish pond that has been completed. The conference centre is about 90 per cent complete while work has not yet commenced on the warehouses and the telephone facility.
Mr Peter Yaw Mensah, Atwima District Chief Executive, expressed this concern on behalf of the people at the start of a familialisation tour of the district on Thursday by Mr Kojo Yankah, the Ashanti regional minister.
The tour is to enable the Minister to acquaint himself with the problems facing the people and to inspect some projects undertaken by the district assembly.
Mr Mensah explained that the fish pond complex, though not fully operational, is being used as a nursery for fingerlings.
He appealed for reactivation of the project, which covers a total land area of 50 acres.
He was also unhappy that though the Owabi and Barekese Headworks, which provide water to people in the Kumasi metropolis, is located in Atwima, most of the communities have no access to pipe-borne water.
Mr Yankah after assessing resources injected into the project, announced that the first ever Ashanti Agricultural Fair would be held there to coincide with the National Farmers Day in December.
This is to demonstrate the government's commitment to use the land for the purpose for which it was acquired, he said.
The Regional Minister inspected the 55 million- cedi Yaa Asantewaa Museum and a 47.6 million-cedi three-classroom primary school block, all at Sreso-Tinpom.
Other projects inspected included the Nyinahin Health Centre for which 183.3 million cedis has been invested, a 38.3 million cedis primary school block at Nyinahin and a 41.6 million-cedi jss block at Mpasatia.
Mr Yankah was told that lack of electricity was hampering the effective operation of the Nyinahin health centre while lack of funds has stalled the construction of its maternal and child health care block.
The minister assured the management and staff of the centre that the Regional Co-ordinating Council would provide a generator as a stop-gap measure, pending the extension of electricity from the national grid to Nyinahin.
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Chief denies involvement in Akim Kotoku disturbances
Accra (Greater Accra) 12 June '99
Nana Dannsa Appia III, Akwamuhene of Akim Kotoku Traditional Area, on Thursday denied that he was the ringleader of a faction in a chieftaincy dispute which was said to have caused disturbances during the installation of an Omanhene for the area.
He said the riot took place while he was away in police cells and that the police concocted the story to be able to arrest him.
"It is a conction of the police and the District Chief Executive who had previously threatened that chiefs who oppose the Queenmother will run away and leave their sandals behind."
During the installation on May 31 of Dr Joseph Kyei-Mintah as Omanhene of the Akim Kotoku Traditional Area, a faction of the youth allegedly opposed to his nomination threw stones and other missiles into the palace, thereby injuring a number of people.
Nana Appia told the GNA in Accra that he was opposed neither to the nominee nor the Queenmother; he was opposed to the composition of the king-makers or those who style themselves as such.
Arguing that he is a member of the kingmakers, he said it has been recommended that the membership should be more than six, which was not the case in the installation of Dr Kyei-Mintah.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 12 June '99
A three-member fact-finding committee to establish the circumstances surrounding the recent unrest at the Ashanti Goldfields Company(AGC) has been set up by the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare.
In a release in Accra on Friday, Mr Austin Gamey, a Deputy Minister of MESW, said the committee would, among other things, investigate allegations of participation by non-workers of the company in demonstrations and strike action.
The committee, chaired by Brigadier Henry Anyidoho, Commander of the Second Infantry Brigade, Kumasi, would make appropriate recommendations for industrial peace at the mines.
The other members are Opanin Obeng Fosu, a retired chief Labour Officer and Industrial Relations Consultant and Mr S. B. Mettle, Assistant Commissioner of Police.
The Committee has one month to submit its report.
The Ministry has appealed to the public to co-operate with the committee.
On May four, workers of AGC embarked on an industrial action bringing production at the mine to a standstill.
Through the intervention of the Ministry, the workers called off their strike action and resumed work while negotiations continue.
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Customers can now pay electricity bills in instalments
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 12 June '99
Customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) can now pay their electricity bills in instalments, Mr Kwamena Longdon, divisional Manager in-charge of Public Relations, said in Kumasi on Thursday.
The management of ECG has now diversified its approach to revenue collection and would not rely on disconnection of its customers.
It is rather encouraging its customers to pay their bills in instalments or on weekly basis and receipts will be issued for any amount paid until the final payment is made.
Mr Longdon, who was speaking at a public forum organised by the ECG in Kumasi for its customers, explained that power supplied by the Volta River Authority (VRA) to the ECG is paid for on weekly basis.
The new method of revenue generation, he said, would enable the company to have enough funds to pay for the power in addition to the payment of duties on materials imported.
The ECG has contracts with landlords and not tenants. Therefore any tenant who needs his private meter should ensure that all arrears are paid.
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Vice President rounds off tour of Volta region
Nkwanta (Volta Region) 12 June '99
Vice-President Prof. John Atta Mills on Thursday rounded off his four-day visit to the Northern part of the Volta Region at Nkwanta with a mini-durbar of chiefs and the people.
Prof. Mills outlined government's development projects to face-lift the Nkwanta district and called for the community's co-operation for their execution.
He reiterated that the area had not been neglected and asked the people to disregard misleading statements by the opposition that the area had been denied its fair share of development.
Alhaji Seidu Iddi, Volta Regional Minister, recalled the extensive tour, the first by the vice-president to the region and asked the people to see it as government's determination to develop the region.
Alhaji Iddi spoke about the relative peace prevailing in former conflict areas in the Northern part of the country following the institution of a Permanent Peace Negotiating Team (PPNT) and appealed to the people to take a cue from that to resolve disputes amicably.
He said the work of the PPNT would be meaningless if the communities themselves do not appreciate the need to uphold the peace, citing reported cross-border incidents between the frontiers of Ghana and Togo.
Alhaji Iddi said a body has been instituted in conjunction with the National Security Council to deal with such incidents along the borders and expressed the hope that the Togolese authorities would also take a similar action.
Mr Benjamin Nyame, the District Chief Executive, said from 1994 to date, the district received 2.9 billion cedis as its share of the Common Fund.
The money, he said, has been used on a number of development projects.
Mr Nyame said the main concern of the community is the completion of the district hospital started in 1988.
At present, he said, the Medical Officer and staffs are providing services in the uncompleted structure.
He appealed for the vice-president's intervention to secure external funding for the completion of the hospital, which is a referral facility for patients in Kete Krachi and the Nkwanta districts.
The Nkwanta district adds up to seven the number of districts visited by the Vice- President's entourage which included Prof. Kofi Awoonor,a presidential aide, Ministers of State and other policy advisers as well as Members of Parliament.
Other districts visited were Ho,. Kpando, Hohoe, Jasikan, Kadjebi and Kete- Krachi where the Vice-President met with the chiefs and the people, especially the youth, to discuss their concerns.
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FAO boss appoints Deputy Regional Representative for Africa
Accra (Greater Accra) 12 June '99
The Director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Dr Jacques Diouf has appointed Mr George Kiuri Mburathi as Deputy Regional Representative for Africa and FAO representative in Ghana.
A statement from the FAO Africa Regional office in Accra on Friday said Mr Mburathi who is a Kenyan, presented his Letter of Credence to the foreign minister, Mr Victor Gbeho on Wednesday.
Prior to his appointment, he was FAO representative in Zambia and Malawi.
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