Workers get early pay

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

By Edmund Mingle

All public sector workers have been paid for January, says Ralph Tuffuor the Controller and Accountant General said yesterday.

The early payment was in compliance of a government directive workers be paid early this month as a way of cushioning them against the expenses made during the yuletide, and the effect of the recent increase in fuel prices.

Mr. Ralph Tuffour the Controller and Accountant General, told the Times in Accra that the commercial banks were given the mandate to credit the accounts of public sector workers last week.

He said some workers, especially those on the electronic banking system, received information of their credits last Friday and expressed optimism that all accounts would be credited by the banks by close of work today.

He said the Bank of Ghana facilitated the early crediting of the accounts of all public sector workers to enable salaries to be accessed by today, and asked the banks to guard against delays in payments.

A number of banks contacted by the Times indicated that workers’ accounts had been credited with their salaries.

A source at the head office of the Agricultural Development Bank told the Times that the bank’s staff worked at the weekend to credit all the accounts of workers.


Similarly, other banks including Ghana Commercial Bank, Barclays Bank, HFC Bank and SG-SSB Bank, have had most of the accounts credited.

The managements of the banks are optimistic that the crediting operation would be completed before close of banking hours yesterday.

A similar directive by the government for early salary payment last month was frustrated by the banks, which triggered agitations from workers.