Ghana can save up to GHS10 billion annually if a full-scale cleansing of the Public Sector Payroll is conducted, according to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC). The preliminary payroll monitoring exercise, which was conducted in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 by the FWSC and the Internal Audit Agency, found that unearned salaries constituted 22% of the wage bill of 58 public institutions.
The exercise also revealed cases of ghost workers, including separated and unknown staff who still existed on the payroll of those institutions. The Chief Executive Officer of FWSC, Mr Benjamin Arthur, revealed these findings at a consultative meeting with the Civil Service and the Local Government Service. The purpose of the meeting was to explain the purpose and scope of the ongoing Nationwide Payroll Monitoring exercise, which began on April 3, 2023, and solicit their support.
The cleansing of the Public Sector Payroll is essential to ensure fairness and equity in pay administration, manage the public sector wage bill effectively and save money to support the economy. The exercise will cover the entire public sector institutions and employees except Article 72 Office Holders. The exercise has been divided into four zones, and this year, the monitoring team will focus on education, health, and public administration institutions. Ten teams have been deployed for the exercise, and about 28 institutions have so far been engaged.
The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, urged the FWSC to broaden engagement with all relevant stakeholders to make the exercise successful. The Head of the Office of the Head of Civil Service, Nana Kwasi Agyekum Dwamena, appealed to the FWSC to attach a “human face” and protect the confidentiality of workers while correcting the wrongs.
He also urged the leadership of various institutions to hold durbars and explain the exercise to their staff to avoid agitations. Nana Dwamena emphasized that the exercise was a crucial national assignment and not a punitive measure, and all support was needed to correct the wrongs.