I’ve realized that some people haven’t really understood the meaning of the mandatory paid-leave.

Ok let me try to explain much better.

Leave: is a period of time that one must be away from one's primary job(service), while maintaining the status of employee (in our case, service personnel)

Paid-leave: while you’re away from service you get paid for that particular month.

It’s mandatory paid-leave because every employee is entitled to at least 15 working days fully paid annual leave, after completion of 12 months of continuous service. According to the Labour Act 2003 (651).

NSS always give the personnel a one month leave which is usually in August. Meaning, August they’ll stay home without working and receive their allowance.

Due to the pandemic at the moment, they’ve decided to give us the leave now so that in August there wouldn’t be any leave again. It simply means they’re swapping the leave month.

So personnel are expected to go on this mandatory paid-leave from 26th March, 2020 to ending of April, 2020. However, they shall serve for the month of August.

You might be wondering whether the month of August we would receive our allowance, it’s an emphatic Yes.

I hope this has given you a clear understanding.

Please let us use this time to educate our families, especially those vulnerable and has less privilege to the internet and television or radio to get information about safety tips on COVID-19. And there are also false information about the pandemic that are circulating, we are in better position to feed them with the right information. Please let’s do this.

For you and I, we might be able to navigate through this but how about our illiterate parents and siblings at home and villages?

This leave is not an opportunity to move about for businesses or entertainment. It’s an opportunity to stay safe at home.

Note that money can be made again, our liberty to move about can be restored in time again, but lives are irreplaceable.

Take care of yourself and wash your hands regularly. Avoid touching your face unless you’ve cleaned your hands.

Wednesday 25th March 2020 we shall be seeking the face of God through fasting and prayers endeavor to partake in this.

This, too, shall pass!

©?Peter Tonka

NASPA President, East Mamprusi Municipal

(054 700 0364)

#NSS #COVID19 #NationalService #NaSPA