General News of Monday, 12 July 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-07-12Refund all payments made to your spouse's immediately – TUC to Akufo-Addo
Samira Bawumia (Left) and Rebecca Akufo-Addo (Right)
•The TUC has said it does not support the recommendation of emoluments paid to the spouses of the president and vice president
•The Union said the move has no legal basis to be applicable
•It therefore urged the president to ensure any payments already made be refunded
The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has advised President Akufo-Addo
Read full articleto immediately refund all emoluments made to his spouse and that of the vice president.
The call comes on the back of recommendations received by Parliament’s Emolument Committee to pay salaries to the spouses of the president and his vice.
But a statement from the TUC sighted by GhanaWeb stressed, it cannot support the move as it has no legal basis to be applicable as spouses of president only qualify for salaries once they are assigned official state duties.
“It is simply not right for anyone who has not been officially assigned duties and responsibilities in the public service to receive monthly salaries. The Committee probably sought to regularize the payment of allowances which were being paid already. But you cannot regularize the payment of allowances which has no legal basis,” the statement read in part.
“The ongoing passionate debate indicates clearly that this issue is very important to Ghanaians. We would like to advise President Akufo-Addo to use all the powers accorded him by the Constitution of Ghana, first, to stop the payment of the salaries to his wife and the wife of the Vice President immediately, until they are officially assigned duties and responsibilities. The President should also ensure that all such payments made to his wife and the wife of Vice President are refunded immediately,” the Union stressed.
It continued, “When the time comes for spouses of presidents and vice presidents to be assigned official duties and responsibilities that will qualify them to receive salaries from tax payers’ money the executive arm of government should remember the spouses of the Speakers of Parliament (the heads of the legislative arm of government) and the spouses of Chief Justices (the heads of the judiciary arm of government). They can also perform some official duties,” the Union explained.
See the full statement below:
