Accra, March 20, GNA - The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffuor has instructed the Controller and Accountant General to pay salary arrears of all civil servants without any deductions by March 26, this year. This followed a meeting on Thursday comprising the Minister, executives of the Civil Servants Association (CSA) and the Controller and Accountant General to resolve recovery issues on January to June 2008 salary arrears of the civil servants as well as their March 2009 salary.

The Controller and Accountant General's Department earlier decided to make the recoveries based on the fact that overpayment was done for civil servants during those periods (January - June 2008) of payment, an issue which made the civil servants to plan a demonstration for today Friday, March 20, 2009.

At a press conference in Accra on Friday to announce the instruction of the Minister to the members of the CSA, Mr Isaac Bampoe Addo, National Treasurer of CSA called on the members to remain calm as efforts were made to implement the instructions of the Minister. Mr Bampoe Addo expressed the hope that the Accountant General would implement the instruction to ensure that civil servants received what was legitimately due them to forestall any industrial action. Meanwhile, Ghana News Agency checks at some of the departments at the ministries revealed that members were at post with some wearing red bands.