Sole Commissioner of the Judgement Debt Commission, Justice Yaw Apau has advised government to “stop paying workers who go on strike.”

“People get up and go on strike just like that. Strikes, strikes, one month, then they will stay home without working, at the end of the month, they go to the bank and take their salaries without conscience.You haven’t worked for one month, two months, like what the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) is doing, then you go to the bank and withdraw your salaries, sit in the house and you make use of the salaries, and you are proud of it.”

“You have no conscience. And nobody is talking about it. I think it is high time government stops paying people who go on strikes.Just like you have decided to stay in the house for several weeks and months without working; then at the end of the month you must not go to the bank and collect your salaries.” he said.

The Sole Commissioner further urged Ghanaians and state institutions to respect the laws of the land.

Mr Justice Apau made these remarks in Accra, when Dr Bernice A. Welbeck, Acting Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission (NLC) appeared before the Commission in the Matter of Cap30 pension payment of Mr Seth Adzah, a retired staff of the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Dr Welbeck acknowledged that Mr Adzah had petitioned the NLC on countless occasions, adding that the Commission wrote to the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to make an appearance before it, but he failed to do so.

She said Mr Adzah had worked with the MOH for 39 years as a laboratory technician and had petitioned the NLC for his retirement to be placed under Cap 30.

The Executive Secretary said the Commission was considering entering into summary ruling since the GHS was not cooperating in the matter.

She said in such situations, the petitioner might be wrong but since state institutions have refused to cooperate with the NLC in its work, it might be forced to rule based on the evidence before it.

Mr Kofi Dometi Sokpo, Lead Counsel of the Judgement Debt Commission wanted to know from the Executive Secretary, if the NLC Act has no other provision based on which it can compel people or institution to appear before it.

Dr. Welbeck said that under the relevant sections of the law, the NLC has the power to give its ruling when the other side failed to appear before it.

She recounted that in the past two weeks, the NLC gave a judgement which was given against the state in the matter of redundancy petition, but since the relevant state institution failed to appear before it, it led to the state incurring a huge judgement debt.

The Sole Commissioner said 99 per cent of default judgement debts were due to the failure of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to defend the state in the matters.

In the matter of the divestiture of the GIHOC Pharmaceuticals, the Executive Secretary of the Divestiture Implementation Committee Mr Assakua Agambila, the Chief Valuer of the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission, Mr Kwesi Bentsi-Enchill and Mr David Agbale of the Ministry of Finance were all at the Commission to testify.

The Commission has adjourned sitting to Thursday, August 21.