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Government has said all Ministers and their Deputies would only receive their ex-gratia when concerns about other non-article 71 office holders have been dealt with. This was contained in a statement issued by the Information Ministry today. It said allegations in the media that members of the political elite have paid themselves lump sum ex-gratia awards and yet are asking other public servants to accept payments of arrears of their 2012 allowances in installment are untrue. In an interview with Citi News, Information and Media Relations Minister, Mahama Ayariga said Ministers and their deputies, as well as presidential staffers who served in the Mills-Mahama government were yet to be paid. �Ministers of State and their deputies, as well as presidential staffers who served under the NDC government from January 7, 2009 to January 7, 2013 have all not been paid their ex-gratia,� he stated. Hon Ayariga further stated, �It is only the parliamentarians who were paid. Parliament itself received its pay in four separate installments and not a one off payment and some of the monies they received also related to arrears that accrued as far back as 2009 and they were prevailed upon to exercise restraint.� Some public sector worker groups have been citing news of the recent ex-gratia payment to MPs as a basis to accuse government of discrimination but Mahama Ayariga said such views are unfortunate and misleading. �The impression has been created that government is fast in addressing the concerns of the political elites and yet when it comes to other segments of the public sector, we are asking them to make sacrifices and wait to be paid according to certain schedules. We want to make it clear that every other public officer in the executive has been made to make sacrifices,� he stated. Hon Ayariga further mentioned, �All appointees of President John Mahama who were sworn in and assumed duty after January 7th 2013 have all not being paid salaries. There is really no discriminatory treatment whereby when it applies to teachers and doctors, there is a delay but when it comes to the political appointees, there is expeditious action to ensure payment is made for them.� Meanwhile Cabinet has directed for old premiums to be paid to public sector workers till a determination of which skills fall within the category of critical skills and the amount of the premium to be paid. Cabinet, at its sitting last Tuesday approved the guidelines for the determination of the Market Premium for its employees with critical skills that should attract a premium. In a statement signed by the Minister for Information and Media Relations Mahama Ayariga, a white paper on the guidelines will be published soon.