Refund any salary paid to spouses of President and Veep – TUC

• Posted on July 12, 2021July 12, 2021
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has demanded an immediate refund of any salary that may have been paid to the spouses of the President and Vice President.

The country’s biggest workers’ union has sternly rejected the recommendations of the Ntiamoa-Baidu committee for the spouses to be paid salaries.

The Union’s Secretary-General, Dr Yaw Baah, said there is no legal basis for such payments.

He stressed that even though the committee has recommended the payments, “It is simply not right for anyone who has not been officially assigned duties and responsibilities in the public service to receive monthly salaries.”

“The Committee probably sought to regularise the payment of allowances which were being paid already. But you cannot regularize the payment of allowances which has no legal basis,” the statement read.

Noting that issue is very passionate to the citizenry, Dr Baah advised President Akufo-Addo to halt the payment of the salaries to the First Lady and the wife of the Vice President until they are officially assigned duties and responsibilities.

“The President should also ensure that all such payments made to his wife and the wife of Vice President are refunded immediately.

“When the time comes for spouses of presidents and vice presidents to be assigned official duties and responsibilities that will qualify them to receive salaries from taxpayers’ money, the executive arm of government should remember the spouses of the Speakers of Parliament (the heads of the legislative arm of government) and the spouses of Chief Justices (the heads of the judiciary arm of government). They can also perform some official duties,” he stated.

-Joy