Accra, March 20, GNA - The Electoral Commission (EC) on Friday increased the allowances of all registration officials by 50,000 cedis after consultation with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. The adjusted allowances are: Registration Supervisor from 250,000 cedis to 300,000 cedis; Deputy Registration Supervisor from 220,000 cedis to 270,000 cedis; Registration Officer 200,000 cedis to 250,000 cedis and "Shader", from 120,000 cedis to 170,000 ceids.
Cameramen and Laminators for both Upper East and Upper West Regions would also receive 220,000 cedis and 170,000 cedis, respectively instead of 180,000 cedis and 140,000 ceids originally budgeted for. A statement signed by Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra announcing the increment said it would cost the nation an additional 4.6 billion cedis.
Dr Afari-Gyan, therefore, appealed to all Registration Officials to henceforth apply themselves diligently to this important national exercise and strictly observe the stipulated opening and closing time of 0700 hours and 1800 hours.
Registration officials on Wednesday rejected the EC's offer of 200,000 cedis and 120,000 cedis, for Registration officers (RO) and their assistants, respectively, and instead proposed 700,000 cedis and 420,000 cedis.
Mr Hope Logoh, Registration Officer of the Klowe Koe Electoral Area in the Teshie-Nungua Estate, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency, said a number of electoral officers met and resolved that: "The EC's offer is unrealistic and economically unreasonable for it to pay less than 1,300 cedis for an hour of brain work."
They, therefore, appealed to the EC, Government and Ghana's development partners, especially Britain, Canada and Australia to come to their aid to support the registration exercise.
Mr Logo noted that the registration exercise was quite cumbersome and time consuming and demanded the total concentration of officials for accurate data to be compiled at the end of the period.
The Registration Officer said: "We are at the receiving end of some of the operational inefficiencies. We are at times abused and attacked by some members of the communities we serve."
"For these sacrifices we must be adequately compensated and not to be slapped in the face with peanuts," he said, adding, "morale for the exercise is waning and this may cause considerable damage to the exercise and the democratic process if immediate action is not taken to ensure that we are adequately compensated".