National Service Scheme Personnel Fume After "Backdoor" Deductions For NASPA Week Celebration

• A group calling itself Concerned National Service Personnel have kicked against deductions made from their allowances
• The deductions were made to service the National Service Personnel Association’s week-long celebrations
• The Concerned National Service Personnel are also calling for allowance arrears due them to be paid

Some National Service Scheme personnel are upset with backdoor deductions from their allowances.

These deductions were made to support the Nationals Service Personnel Association week celebrations following a decision taken at a congress in Sunyani.

A district NSS executive who spoke to YEN.com.gh on conditions of anonymity said the association did not formally inform the personnel.

“They decided to deduct GH¢25 from the allowance of the service personnel, and this was done without the consent of the service personnel.”

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The executive also said the personnel are owed arrears after the allowances were increased from GH¢559 to GH¢715.

“The sad part is that we haven’t received our August allowances and for the time we were having our service, most months, our allowances were delayed.”

The executive as also upset that NASPA had prioritised a celebration over the welfare of personnel and called for the week-long event to be cancelled.

A group concerned National Service Personnel has also called for cancelling the NASPA week celebrations.

The group has further petitioned the National Service Secretariat over its concerns.

YEN.com.gh contacted a NASPA executive for comment but has yet to get a response.

Most recent NSS allowance increase

In July, the National Service Scheme announced that the government had given the green light for the monthly allowance paid to personnel to be increased.

In a statement issued on July 23, 2023, the NSS disclosed that the upward review is from GH¢559 to GH¢715 and is expected to take effect from January.

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The announcement means that personnel currently in active service are entitled to arrears for the difference in the upward adjustment from January 2023.

Concerns over NSS allowance

YEN.com.gh reported in a previous story that a scheme personnel got many talking online after opening up about how much he spends on transportation to work.

He tweeted that he uses GH¢1000 on transportation monthly, but his allowance was just GH¢559.

He expressed how unfair it is that service personnel are paid little to nothing and asked to increase the amount.

Agyapong reveals vision for NSS

New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, the aspirant, Kennedy Agyapong, has pledged to make military service compulsory during national service.

Agyapong said all National Service Personnel must undertake six months of military service.

The flagbearer aspirant said this policy would help instil discipline in Ghana’s emerging workforce.

Source: YEN.com.gh