CIVIL SERVANTS WANT HOUSING UNITS RENOVATED (PAGE 25)

CIVIL servants in the Tamale metropolis have expressed concern about the poor accommodation facilities and the unconducive working environment in some government departments.
They noted that such challenges hindered them in their quest to work hard to increase productivity in the metropolis.
The workers told the Daily Graphic in Tamale during a workers’ durbar organised by the Civil Servants Association (CSA) that the high rents that were deducted from their salaries at source had allegedly not been used to renovate the buildings they occupied for several years now.
Refurbishment of a single government housing unit in the metropolis is estimated to cost a whopping GH¢20,000 due to the level of deterioration of the buildings.
Most of the housing units were built 50 years ago and have since not been renovated.
Figures available at the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council (NRRC) indicate that there are about 607 government housing units located in such suburbs as Sakasaka, Choggu, Bagabaga, Kalpohini, Vitting, Attaasibi, Nyohini and Airport areas.
About 300 of such houses have been earmarked for sale.
The level of deterioration of the housing units is so massive that most occupants cannot afford to renovate the structures by themselves.
Some of the workers argued that even if they took loans to renovate the buildings, their monies might not be refunded to them. The workers, therefore, called for the housing units to be renovated, and that someone should take charge of the project as the metropolis was growing faster and faster with higher demands for more workers to be posted to the metropolis. Investigations by this reporter showed that times without number, workers had trooped to the offices of the NRCC to request for accommodation, which they never obtained. The workers also entreated the government to expedite action on the provision of more housing units to cater for the increasing demands of workers.
They, however, noted that the much talked about policy to eliminate corruption among public and civil servants would become a thing of the past if workers were paid realistic salaries.
In a related development, the acting Executive Secretary of the CSA, Mr James Amissah, told workers that the association was doing its best in negotiating salaries civil servants as there had been an 18 per cent increase in the daily minimum wage.
According to him, the executive of the CSA were also negotiating with the government to ensure that civil servants also enjoyed ex gratia after serving the nation diligently.
The National Vice-President of the CSA, Mr Tennyson Foli, called on members to fully support activities of the association in order to sustain it.
Mr Foli expressed concern about the seeming lip-service being paid to the growth of the Co-operative, Labour and the Public Works departments (PWD) and called on the government to urgently help revamp them.
He also expressed concern about the trying conditions under which civil servants worked in implementing the policies and programmes of the government of the day.
The Regional Chairman of the CSA, Mr Gilbert Sebik, urged civil servants to take issues of welfare seriously by contributing to sustain the scheme.