Public Servants must brace themselves for tough times ahead, Richard Amparbeng, General Secretary of the Public Service Workers Union (PSWU) said at the Volta Regional Delegates conference of the Union in Ho.

“It is not going to be easy…especially those of us in the Public Services given our increasing national debts and dwindling revenue for development.”

This situation called for “change in attitudes towards work and moderate demands for conditions of service,” cautioning, that it was going to be difficult getting government “to negotiate with us.”

Amparbeng said it is for this reason that the PSWU supports government’s decision to wean some organisations off subvention which is not privatization.

He explained that some of those organisations were able to earn 48 million Ghana Cedis as internally generated revenue far above the subvention government gives them.

Amparbeng said autonomy would help those organisations to be efficient and effective in the delivery of their mandates.

He said real incomes have dwindled and pubic sector workers were back to nothing because the Single Spine Salary “has lost its 2010 flavour. That is the plain truth.”

Amparbeng explained that End-of-Service benefits have been restored except that enterprises now have to make “seed capital” available to pay that benefit.

On issues concerning transfers, he explained that the guidelines of categories two and three allowances, when concluded would help address them because of cost implications.