The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has asked seven trainees who were refused recruitment in the vacancy positions as drivers to understand the reason for the decision.

Alhaji Y. A. Ibrahim, Deputy Commissioner of Human Resources, GRA told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that some of the trainees were not recruited because their medical conditions proved that they were not fit enough for the positions and could even endanger their lives.

The Commissioner was explaining a conflict between the Authority and the seven trainees who were not employed.

He said the Authority has no mandate to disclose the medical condition of a trainee, as it is the sole responsibility of a medical practitioner to do so.

“Sometimes, people look healthy but medical results may prove that they don’t have a normal heartbeat; so in such situation we can’t take the risk of putting their lives in danger; hence the need for them to understand us”, he said.

Alhaji Ibrahim said, the GRA usually direct the trainees to the centres where they undertook the screening for their conditions to be disclosed to them personally.

“Last year, a lady who was very irritated because we didn’t employ her after training was asked to go for a copy of the medical results herself, and she never returned because it was a very bad case and probably she understood why we didn’t accept her.”

He said a person may go for medical checkup, be refused a position in the Customs Division and be accepted in the Domestic Tax Revenue Division because he or she may not meet the physical standards and demands in the Customs Division.

He explained that it is because energetic and smart people are needed in the Customs Division irrespective of the position.

He countered claims by the trainees that they resigned from their previous jobs because they were sure they were secured driving positions in the Authority by saying: “We did not assure them of the job, we only trained them and conducted a medical test on them to find out if they were fit for the positions.”

He noted that there were instances where some of the people trained were not medically fit for the position but were competent, so the Authority decided to let them work without uniforms at the Domestic tax collection division.

Alhaji Ibrahim said: “I have no interest in selecting one person and rejecting the other because I don’t even know them personally; so why would I even think of deliberately recruiting some and leaving others behind?”

He asked the unconsidered trainees to come back to the Authority anytime they are ready for further explanation and clarification.

He said they may even be given another opportunity if some of those recruited are disqualified or sacked along the way.

The seven trainees who were not considered were Essel Francis, Eric Boateng, Gabriel Kassah, Godwin Nii Kluu Duah, Abraham Adu, Wonder Ahiadziro, and Charles Atistobi.