National Service allowance increment wasn’t captured in gov’t budget – NSS

NSS says gov't did not capture the increment in its budget presented in November 2016

The National Service Scheme has described as false, assertions that the Akufo-Addo government has refused to approve for payment, the recent increment in the allowances of national service personnel.

The John Mahama-led government on December 14, 2016 increased the allowance of service personnel by about 60 per cent. Thus Service personnel were effective January 2017, to be paid a monthly allowance of GHC559 from the previous GH350.

However, service personnel at the end of January 2017 were paid the old GHC350, an action that triggered agitation by the personnel who are demanding that they are paid the new increment.

But according to the Scheme, the last minute increment was not captured in the supplementary budget presented to Parliament in November 2016, something that occasioned the nonpayment of the new allowance in January 2017.

A statement signed and issued by the Head of Public Relations of the National Service Scheme, Ambrose Entsiwah Jnr, thus expressed surprised at the interpretation given to the increment by a section of the public without first ascertaining the facts of the matter.

“The new administration is seriously making inputs into the March, 2017 national budget being prepared by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning,” the statement said.

The management of the Scheme has consequently assured all national service personnel that once the new increment is captured in the yet to be read budget, payment will be initiated to reflect any increment initially agreed upon.

It has meanwhile asked all service personnel to remain calm as the Scheme works to address the issue, adding “management wishes to state that the Scheme remains committed to the wellbeing of National Service personnel”.