Some staff of CAGD apprehensive over use of e-zwich
Though not all staff of the Controller and Accountant General Department (CAGD) have comply with their management’s directive to start using the e-zwich facility, the Public Relations Officer, Cephas Dosoo says response has been good.
Staff of CAGD were given up to January 6th this year to apply to use the facility as a pilot phase to eventually pave way for public sector workers to receive their salaries on their e-zwich cards.
But the Ghana News Agency investigation shows that those yet to apply are apprehensive over the use of the e-zwich complaining of charges that come with its usage. Others say places where they normally buy things do not have the e-zwich machines.
“In fact most of us do not want to apply for it. But it looks as if they are forcing us to and we will not do it and wait to see if there will be sanctions for not meeting the deadline,” a staff said.
E-zwich is the brand name for the National Switch and Smart card payment system aims at making Ghana a cashless society by improving accessibility to banking and retail services.
Mr Dosoo told the Ghana News Agency on Monday that the directive did not come with any sanction and nobody had been punished for not meeting the January 6th deadline “but that does not mean we cannot apply sanctions for non-compliance.”
The PRO said though not all staff had met the deadline more and more people are applying for the facility because of the numerous advantages it offers.
“The rationale as indicated by the Controller at our last annual conference in Sunyani is that the e-zwich will ensure the integrity of the payroll system.
“The intervention is not to discomfort anyone but to work toward a cashless economy. We want to eliminate ghost names and ensure a payroll that is flawless,” Mr Dosoo said.
Staff, he noted, were not suppose to put all their salaries on the e-zwich biometric cards. “They have the right to determine how much should be put on the e-zwich cards.
“If we don’t clean our home, how can we do we clean the home of others,” he said.
However, he said, if some staff were complaining it was normal because there were bound to be some challenges in implementation, but added that no one had complained to management on the directive and the use of the facility.
“I am on it and at the end of every month I get my salary response much quicker than those who are not using it. We are still compiling the database after which we will validate the various account details of staff,” Mr Dosoo said.
Generally, salaries disbursed through the e-zwich system will be received much faster and the worker has the liberty to put money for everyday use on the card and reserve the rest in the bank account for savings and other purposes.
Source: GNA