Workers of the Electoral Commission (EC) are demanding 50 percent of their salary as allowances for their inability to engage in social and political activities as staff of a neutral organization.
The demand, which comes with barely three months to presidential and parliamentary elections, in December, is the second in the year.
The demand was made in a leaked internal memo for negotiations delivered to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission in Accra by the workers of the Commission.
According to them, unlike other members of the public service, they are restricted in their social interactions for fear of being tagged political.
“There are certain public places open to all that employees of the Commission cannot participate since they may be wanting. The exercise of neutrality becomes more sensitive during and after the conduct of elections since we are most of the times perceived wrongly by our actions in the course of our work,” the memo said.
The EC workers also demanded 30 gallons of fuel monthly for officers at the Regional Directorates and the Head Office who use their vehicles for official duties.
“We have Senior Officers at the Regional Directorates and at the Head office who require official vehicles to do their official work but do not have access to official vehicles so they use their private vehicles to do their official work. It is our considered opinion that these officers are granted 30 gallons of fuel per month to facilitate their improvement and ensure productivity of work.”
This is not the first time employees of the Electoral Commission have raised concerns about the payment of some allowances due them. EC staff to strike over low salaries.
In January this year, the workers union and the Senior Staff Association of the Electoral Commission (EC), served notice of an impending strike over poor salaries and conditions of service.
According to them, all attempts to get these issues resolved have proved futile.
The workers in their resolutions, addressed to the Chairperson of the Commission, Charlotte Osei, after a crunch meeting said barring any intervention, they will begin the sit-down strike on February 15, 2016 and proceed on a full blown strike on February 22, 2016. The strike however did not take place.
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