Mixed reactions from the Police on the single spine
Following the mood after the migration of Ghana Police Service unto the new Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), the new pay policy system is receiving strong commendations from personnel after witnessing a reflection of the new pay system on their pay slips for July.
Drawing huge commendations for stakeholders, government and implementation committee for the successful mapping and implementation of the scheme, some of the personnel have expressed their commitment towards their duties since the implementation of the new pay policy that has come to correct the payment system of the public sector in the past.
However, in the wake of salary changes in the law enforcement agency, some personnel though whole heartedly satisfied with the new development in their ‘pockets’ have expressed concerns about the reflection of the new salary structure in their livelihood.
Ghana News Agency (GNA) investigations in some police barracks and police stations indicated that some personnel have expressed concerns about the high standard of living in the country with regard to unstable utility tariffs, high school fees, transportation and the general upkeep of their families as impeding elements that still confronted them despite the new payment system.
Some of them believed that the extended family system in the county still ‘coughs out’ for consistent demands and responsibilities from both the nuclear and extended families that do not comprehend with the non-changing state of their livelihood especially for those living in the city.
Others expressed their warm belief in the implementation of the new pay policy reiterating their relief from severe financial difficulties that confronted them daily in the past and suggested the adoption of an efficient family management system approach despite the economic stability in the country.
In the efforts of government and stakeholders to complete implementation of the SSSS to all public servants in the country, the Police service had been the first to taste the ‘cake’ should therefore work hard to create a motivating environment of productivity believing hard work would be appropriately rewarded.
Source: GNA
The govt and the fair wages commission should ensure that other security agencies benefits appreciatively from the ssss. The work of the Prisons and the Police for instance are complementary and need not be any serious disparity in their remunerations. Other basic considerations like risk, training, entry requirements among others are also almost the same. As we speak, uncertainty and some amount of tension is mounting among some personnel in the Prison Service. SSSS in August with dramatic increase in salaries of Prison officers is the battlecry. Failure would be chaos and deadly.
The govt and the fair wages commission should ensure that HND graduates are placed at the correct level in all sectors. For example in GES some HND graduates are place on level 11 whiles other are placed on level 12. We the HND graduates are appealing to government to eliminate all the this disparities before implementing the ssss for the next set of workers in the country.