Fomena (Ash), April 5, GNA - Civil servants in the Adansi North District are unhappy about non-payment of their final instalment of salary arrears which were due end of March, 2008, their chairman has said.

Mr John Baidoo, local chairman of Civil Servants Association, told newsmen at Fomena at the weekend that the situation was irritating the workers, causing them to harass the executives with questions as to why the arrears were not paid.

He said no explanation either from the government or the Controller and Accountant General's Department had been offered for the anomaly. Mr Baidoo said the government had been paying arrears to civil servants in monthly instalments and that workers were expecting the last payment in March but unfortunately, salaries were paid without the arrears.

"As the situation is, we do not know as to whether the government has stopped the payment or not," Mr Baidoo said. Mr Baidoo, who commended the government for paying the arrears so far, appealed to the authorities to see to it that the outstanding payment was made to motivate them to work harder. He urged civil servants to remain neutral in party politics. "We are the engine that makes government machinery work and so we should keep to that culture."

He advised his colleagues to embrace opportunities that would help them to upgrade themselves academically and professionally. Mr Baidoo appealed to workers to avoid lateness, laziness, malingering and other negative attitudes that run against work ethics of the Civil Service.