Over one thousand employees of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), are yet to receive salaries owed them for the last three years.
Some of these employees, who agreed to speak to Citi News on grounds of anonymity, said efforts to get management to release their monies have been met with threats of suspension and dismissal.
According to the employees, many of whom were employed in 2013, they have only received a month’s salary which was paid in November 2015, a situation they find financially and mentally strenuous.
Meanwhile, management of the organization expects the workers to continuously show up at work.
One of the affected employees said “The situation is really bad. We are very worried. Meanwhile, we still go to work every day.”
Some of the employees say they have consequently suffered massive loss of properties due to indebtedness, as they have had to take loans from banks and borrow from people over the period.
In April this year, the affected staff via a letter sought the intervention of the Ministry of Interior, but there was no response.
Below is a copy of the letter addressed to the Interior Minister:
P.O. Box JT 325
James Town, Accra
3rd April, 2017
The Honourable Minister
Ministry of the Interior
P.O. Box M42
Accra, Ghana
Dear Sir,
PETTITION FOR PAYMENT OF SALARY ARREARS
It is with utmost distress and privation that we petition you officially by this letter, trusting that you would compassionately help us to be paid of our salary arrears to relieve us and our families from the many emotional anguish and financial difficulties we are currently going through.
As employees of NADMO employed in the year 2013, we worked for two years eight months (32months) without salary. During those extremely difficult years and hard times, most of our colleagues suffered huge losses. Some lost their properties to banks for failure to pay back their loans; others lost their marriage and suffered many shameful experiences which cannot be mentioned. A lot of our colleagues were evicted from their homes by Landlords for failing to pay rent. And what is more pitiful? One of our colleagues sadly lost his son because there was no money to pay for the medical bill in time.
As we continued to endure these undeserved hardships whilst working, surprisingly, there was no support of any kind from NADMO to help us cope with the situation. We were merely given the assurances by the Leadership of NADMO that Government would pay us.
Eventually in November 2015 when Government decided to pay us (after waiting for 32months without salary), shockingly and perhaps more sadly, we were given one month salary each; and since then it has been one month salary every month.
What is more frustrating is that Banks are on our necks to collect the moneys we took from them such that as soon as your salary hits your accounts, they deduct everything. Moreover, colleagues and friends are also chasing us everywhere for the moneys we owe them. Four years on after we got employment from NADMO, our lives have grown from bad to worst.
As Government Employees, we had hoped that government would pay our salary arrears so that we also settle our creditors and have our freedom but unfortunately, someone in authority decided to punish us for no crime done.
Because there is no one to speak on our behalf or fight for us, our two and half years’ (32months) salary arrears have been swept under the carpet.
The Holy Bible says; “The labourer is worthy of his hire” (1Timothy 5:18). Sadly enough, and perhaps more strangely, the Leadership of NADMO is silent on this very disturbing issue.
It is in the light of these rather sad circumstances that we find ourselves that we respectfully petition you to come to our aid and address the issue as urgent as possible so that we can have our freedom and the peace of mind to work.
In times like these, we can only look up to godly men like you who would show empathy and concern for the vulnerable.
Counting on your undeniable support and consideration.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
CONCERNED NADMO STAFFS
Cc: The Finance Minister, Accra – Ghana
The Director General, NADMO Accra – Ghana