Kumah to Bagbin: Public sector workers will be paid
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin had earlier said the government may struggle to pay workers if critical steps were not taken
- "In fact, in the midst of COVID when things were tough, Ghanaian workers received their pay. January came and Ghanaian workers were paid. In February, Ghanaian workers will be paid and I don't foresee any such lack of liquidity for critical payments of government."
The deputy Minister of Finance, John Kumah has debunked claims by the Speaker of Parliament that public sector workers may not receive their remuneration in the next three months.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin had earlier said the government may struggle to honour some of its financial obligations including paying its workers if critical steps were not taken.
“First of all, it is not true that Ghana cannot pay workers for three months. Let me give the firm assurance that workers are going to receive their pay,” Kumah told the media after the inauguration of the maiden Ashanti Regional Youth Parliament.
“In fact, in the midst of COVID when things were tough, Ghanaian workers received their pay. January came and Ghanaian workers were paid. In February, Ghanaian workers will be paid and I don’t foresee any such lack of liquidity for critical payments of government,” he said.
Genuine call
Kumah added: “I think that the Speaker has made a very genuine call to all MPs that we must move Parliament beyond partisanship and support government’s domestic revenue mobilisation programmes, especially the E-Levy so that we don’t create a very difficult financial constraint for government.
“And I think that is how Speaker wanted to put it. Parliament has passed the 2022 appropriation bill, what it means is that government has to spend, …so the Speaker has expressed a very genuine concern.”
Kumah, however, warns that failure to support government revenue mobilisation drive could affect government’s expenditure in the long run.
“If we don’t put politics aside and support government in the revenue measure, it may get to a time, but I don’t foresee that in the [next] three months, that it will become difficult for critical payments of government to be fulfilled,” Kumah added.
Loretta Timah
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