General News of Thursday, 25 May 2023

Source: classfmonline.com

Unmerited allowances: GBC meets FWSC for a resolution

The staff of the GBC have indicated their intent to embark on a series of actions to ensure that The staff of the GBC have indicated their intent to embark on a series of actions to ensure that

The management of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has held a meeting with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).

This comes after the FWSC recommended that the state-owned broadcaster implores its staff who have been receiving allowances they did not deserve to refund.

The staff of the GBC have, however, indicated they will embark on a series of actions to ensure that the FWSC reinstates their allowances.

According to the spokesperson for the FWSC, Earl Ankrah, both the commission and management of the GBC are working to reach a resolution.

He said: “In fact, yesterday May 23, the Director of GBC came to Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, and he met with the Chief Executive of the Commission, Benjamin Arthur. They met again at the office of the Minister of Information, Oppong Nkrumah, to look at the issues.

“There was a meeting at Fair Wages and Salaries Commission between [leaders] and management of GBC, so they are looking at it from various grounds and definitely there will be a resolution.”

According to the FWSC, some staff of state broadcasting corporation GBC are earning allowances they are not entitled to.

The discovery was made by the FWSC as part of its pay roll monitoring exercise.

The FWSC has, thus, recommended that some allowances of staff of the state-owned broadcasting company be taken off the payroll.

“Vehicle Maintenance Allowance should be taken off the payroll, GBC Computer Special Allowance should be taken off the payroll,” the FWSC stated, explaining that: “This has never been determined by the employer and was consolidated into the basic salary after the migration of GBC staff unto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SPSS).”

The FWSC further indicated “Category 4 Allowances” which are meant for “Directors and above are currently being enjoyed by some staff below the rank of Directors.”

These include: “Rent allowance (739 staff), Domestic Servant Cleaner (4 staff), Domestic Servant Cook (3 staff), Domestic Servant Watchman (60 staff), Housing (8 staff), Entertainment (61 staff), Utility (Electricity, Water and Telephone) (59 staff).”

“This should be immediately stopped and taken off the payroll,” the FWSC directed.

It added: “Staff of GBC who have received the unearned allowances amounting to Two Million, Eighty-four Thousand and Twenty, Ghana Cedis (2,084,020.00) per annum should be made to refund the allowances in the appropriate GoG Suspense Accounts.”