The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has recommended a 50% haircut on the salaries and emoluments of Article 71 Office Holders as part of the Domestic Debt Restructuring Programme and to reduce the pressure on the public purse.
These include the President and Vice, the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice, and Justices of the Supreme Court, with salaries charged to the Consolidated Fund and enjoying special constitutional privileges.
Abraham Koomson, General Secretary of the GFL, said this at the Ghana News Agency Industrial News Hub platform in Tema.
He stated that Ghana was currently encountering a major financial challenge and Article 71 Office Holders should do something rather than sitting aloof.
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Speaking on the government’s debt restructuring, Mr. Koomson said the ex gratia paid some office holders at the end of their service tenure must also be slashed by about 70% to relieve the ordinary person from suffering the consequences of the crisis alone.
He reiterated the call for a reduction in the number of presidential staffers, ministers of state, and other government appointees to reduce expenditure and set the tone to revive the economy.
According to Mr. Koomson, the debt exchange programme should be undertaken with caution in order not to push people in the middle and lower classes into poverty, which would have a negative impact on national development.
He further expressed the need for circumspection in undertaking the programme to avoid rendering the banks and other financial institutions vulnerable to adversely affect the living standard of the citizenry.
Source: GNA
