The General Secretary of the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) of the Trade Union Congress, Bernard Adjei, has accused the Ministry of Finance of deliberately excluding the Operational Support Allowance from the 2025 national budget.
According to him, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson admitted during a meeting that the allowance was not budgeted for—despite the NIA’s management submitting a formal request in 2024.
“We think it is an attempt to avoid the payment of the allowances, and the workers will not allow that,” Mr. Adjei asserted, describing the development as a breach of trust and a reflection of government’s unwillingness to honour its commitments.
The PSWU boss warned that the strike action by National Identification Authority (NIA) staff will only end when the government pays the agreed allowances.
He lamented the deteriorating financial conditions of the affected workers, saying the situation has become unsustainable.
“This can be resolved very easily,” Mr. Adjei emphasized.
“If this morning the Ministry of Finance writes a letter to the Comptroller to release the allowance—if that is done today, the strike will be off.”