Civil servants plan protest against Pricewaterhouse Report?
Soldiers demolish unauthorised buildings
NPP okay with Okumkom - MP reconciliation but.. .
Detectives undergo training in effective crime management
Timber workers contribute to TUC enterprise
Annan calls for recommitment to the habitat agenda
Kumasi demonstration called off
Cape Coast Municipal Assembly gets new chief executive
Muslim community starts JSS project costing 300 million cedis
Blind students call for reduction in price of white cane
Work to start on Senya-Beraku-Gomoa Ojobi road
Civil servants plan protest against Pricewaterhouse Report?
Ho (Volta Region) 6 Oct '99
Civil servants in the Volta Region have given the government two weeks to "act positively on the implementation of the Pricewaterhouse Report otherwise we will go on a two-week sit down strike."
The warning was given at a durbar at Ho on Monday where they agreed to wear red bands with immediate effect "as a sign of warning on our intentions."
They called on government to revert all civil servants to Cap 30 "or else, civil servants will opt out of the SSNIT Pension Scheme."
A report presented to the durbar by the regional executive of the association on the new policy, also called on the national executive of the Civil Servants Association to convene an emergency meeting "to chart a nation-wide line of protest" on the implementation of the wage policy.
It alleged that the government has failed to adhere to the provisions in the memorandum of understanding between it and the civil servants association on implementation of the policy.
"It turned out that there is a different objective up the sleeve of the government which has been hidden from us thus making the whole exercise anti-worker," the report said.
The report further alleged that a series of meetings held with the Central Management Board and the Controller and Accountant General since June this year on rectification of anomalies in the implementation of the wage policy "has failed to attract any positive response.
"...In the face of rising prices of everything,- -school fees, utility bills, hospital bills, fuel and the like, civil servants are more frustrated in life than ever and wish there had not been anything like Pricewaterhouse."
The report however acknowledged the efforts being made by the national leadership of the association to put their grievances across to the government.
Meanwhile, representatives from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Civil Servants Association (CAS) in the Greater Accra Region have called for the withdrawal of the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS) until it has been structured well enough to cater for them.
They said ''gone were the days that civil servants were used as the sacrificial lambs. We are now fully awake''.
They said this at an emergency meeting held in Accra to decide on the next line of action should they fail to reach a compromise with their employer on the anomalies detected in the implementation of the Pricewaterhouse Recommendations.
According to them, the ''spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by all stakeholders, which states that no worker would be made worse off under the new wages and salary policy was grossly violated as some of them have been made worse off than before''.
Mr James Amissah, Acting Regional Chairman, said the meeting is to sensitise members on the need to draw government's attention to their plight.
The Vice President, Professor John Atta Mills, is expected to meet the executives on Wednesday 6 October to discuss the issue.
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Soldiers demolish unauthorised buildings
Accra (Greater Accra) 6 Oct. '99
The Ghana Armed Forces on Tuesday demolished a number of unauthorised structures on lands belonging to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture at Tema Community 20.
It involved the pulling down of an uncompleted five bedroom house said to belong to an Italian, several walled plots, foundations of several buildings yet to be raised and wooden structures.
The lands, which spans an area of 691 hectares, houses the Nungua Livestock Breeding Station of the Animal Production Department and has been encroached upon by developers.
Mr Edwin Bekoe, Farm Manager for the Breeding Station, said a few people who had encroached on the land were for the past two years asked persistently by the ministry to stop further development but they declined.
He said the ministry contacted the Lands Commission, which gave them the go-ahead to demolish the illegal structures.
When newsmen arrived at the scene, a bulldozer and an excavator belonging to the 49 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, were on stand by awaiting orders from the Lands Commission to pull them down.
The military declined to comment on the exercise because they said they were only tasked by the Lands Commission to demolish the structures.
Lands Commission representatives however did not show up to give approval for the demolition even after persistent calls but the operation was carried out.
When the press asked whether the structures were registered, Mr Bekoe said he was not in a position to comment.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 6 Oct. '99
The Passport Office has resumed the issuance of passports suspended a month ago, a release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said.
It says applicants may now submit their applications for passports through the Regional and district offices of the Immigration Service.
Applicants in the Greater Accra Region who submitted their applications before the suspension of work, may call at the Regional Immigration Office to collect their passports.
The release said applicants in other regions may collect their signed passports from their respective regional and district offices of Immigration from Wednesday, 6 October.
It reminded the public, however, that the Passport Office does not accept application forms directly from applicants.
"No applicant should, therefore, visit the Passport Office with the intention of submitting an application or collecting an issued passport."
It said loitering around the Passport Office is not permitted adding that the "office will not hesitate to invite the police to round up idlers who loiter around the premises."
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NPP okay with Okumkom - MP reconciliation but.. .
Accra (Greater Accra) 6 Oct. '99
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Tuesday said it welcomes the reconciliation between the Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Nana Akwasi Agyeman and Dr. Richard Anane, Member of Parliament for Bantama.
A statement signed by Mr. S A. Odoi-Sykes, National Chairman of the NPP, said even though it welcomes the idea, the root cause of the problem should be dealt with to ensure real and lasting effect.
It said the basic issue to be addressed is the fitness of Nana Agyeman for public office and urged President Rawlings to listen to the voice of the people and deal with the problem by removing him.
"This country does not need the poor leadership example being demonstrated by Nana Agyeman", it said adding that "leaders earn respect by respecting those they lead".
The statement further said the assault on Dr. Anane was but the latest such charges against Nana Agyeman adding that there are others who need to be appeased.
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Detectives undergo training in effective crime management
Accra (Greater Accra) 6 Oct. '99
The police service, has the duty to provide security for the public, but it appears the service is unable to provide to find an antidote to the soaring crime wave in the country.
The service has therefore come under severe public scrutiny in recent times with some calling for an improvement in the quality of training for peace officers here.
A six-week training course for 35 detectives, drawn from the C.I.D, Military and the Immigration Service opened in Accra on Tuesday.
The detectives will be taken through a wide variety of subjects, which will equip them with the skills of a competent detective, to effectively manage the crime wave in the country.
Mr William Abuah, Commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Division (C.I.D) on Tuesday said, the country in the past few months has experienced an acute escalation in crime wave, with rape, armed robbery and murder at the fore.
He said in the face of this, the police is under intense pressure from the public to live up to its expectation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the commissioner said the success of the C.I.D in the fight against crime depends on the calibre of detectives within its ambit and the ability to win the support of the public.
He said crime detection depends on the willingness of the public to provide information, which might lead to making arrests and to make "our streets and homes'' safe.
Mr Abuah said crime has taken on a modern trend with the use of sophisticated gadgets and weapons adding, "the training should take into consideration the new psyche of the modern criminal to stem the trend."
He expressed the hope that participants would be better equipped than previously to grapple with the intrigues of contemporary crime detection.
The commissioner said the public can play a major role in crime detection or prevention and advised them to be observant, inquisitive and bold to alert the police of individuals who they suspect of criminal behaviour.
''We understand the state of panic and stress of the public as a result of the growing crime wave especially the loss of lives. We have taken up the challenge and are doing everything possible to make a breakthrough.''
He said detective work is done covertly with tact, patience and perseverance and in due course, their collective efforts will yield the expected results.
Mr G.S. Aggor, Commissioner in charge of Administration, assured the participants that all efforts are being made to secure assistance from government to refurbish the school and the police service to effectively handle the trend of crime.
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Timber workers contribute to TUC enterprise
Accra (Greater Accra) 6 Oct. '99
A total of 278 employees of the Takoradi Branch of the Forest Products Inspection Bureau of the Timber and Woodworkers Union (TWU) of the TUC has paid 13.9 million cedis as their fully-paid up shares towards the Labour Enterprises Trust (LET).
Mr. Dennis Vormawor, Chief Executive Officer of LET, received the cheque and thanked the workers for their support for the scheme.
He said the amount would strengthen the fund to establish other businesses, including Motor Insurance, Life , Homeowners, fire and Burglary to boost its operations.
Mr. George Mannah, General Secretary of TWU, said the union supports the establishment of LET and would continue to provide the needed support for it to achieve its aim and objectives.
He appealed to other National Unions, which have not yet responded positively to the purchase of LET shares to do so immediately in accordance with decisions taken by the Quadrennial National Delegates Congress of TUC.
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Annan calls for recommitment to the habitat agenda
Accra (Greater Accra) 6 Oct. '99
Mr Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, on Tuesday stressed the need for world commitment to making the habitat agenda come true.
In a statement to mark "World Habitat Day", Mr Annan called for local government systems that work and give ordinary people more say in the governance of their own cities and towns.
He said when local government works in genuine partnership with civil society including the urban poor, the entire environment thrives.
It said countless examples show that when people are given security of tenure, they are most likely to invest in creating better homes, neighbourhoods and communities.
Mr Annan noted that many millions of people live in overcrowded slums and squatter settlements without access to basic services.
"When this century opened, one in 10 people lived in the city. As we prepare to leave it, more than half of humankind does. That is more than three billion people.
"The appeal of the cities has always been that it offers chances of a better life but too often it does not work out like that".
It said the appeal of cities that succeed are "cities for all" where people have a say in the decisions that affect their lives.
The statement said most of today's cities are sharply divided along class, race or ethnic lines. It said the habitat agenda "tell us we can give them more say in the government of their own cities and districts. These are important tools for building better lives in the city".
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