GIS To Pay Officers From Own Coffers

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) says plans are underway to pay unpaid personnel, allowances from the service�s own coffers by end of this week since the service is unsure when government would pay the arrears. Over 320 Immigration officers have not been paid for 10 months after their passing out ceremony on August 16, 2013. The situation has angered the personnel who have not received their allowances and threatened to embark on nationwide strike. According to the GIS, this has made life difficult, especially, for those operating outside their home regions. Head of Public Relations of the Service, Francis Palmdeti in an interview with Citi News following the Publication of the DAILY HERITAGE on Monday with the banner headline:" IMMIGRATION OFFICERS THREATEN STRIKE OVER UNPAID ALLOWANCE" stated that �We as an institution with our limited resources have advanced some token to these officers.� He explained that the allowance which will be GH� 1,000.00 and GH� 500.00 for senior and junior officers respectively is expected to be made available by middle of this week. Mr. Palmdetti described the allowances as �tokens and are not adequate because they have been at post for the past ten months they go to work every day. They board vehicles, they have to pay rent, and they have to pay utilities.� According to him, this is the second payment of allowance made by the Service to affected officers due to the delay in payment by the government. Mr. Palmdeti added that the allowances being given to the personnel will be paid back to the Service and �these advances we are making from within the service hopefully when they are paid then they would pay back to us so we use to run other parts of our operations.� He also charged the responsible stakeholders to do all they can to facilitate the payment of the arrears since �such a vulnerable situation wouldn�t auger well for our national security.� Mr. Palmdetti also appealed to the aggrieved personnel to exercise patience as all efforts are being made to settle all arrears owed them. �They should rest-assured it won�t be long this issue will be resolved and then they will be paid,� he added. The aggrieved officers have described the decision as welcome news, but pray that it is fulfilled since they are suffering.