The Country�s Deficit Will Go Higher Since Arrears Are Not Included in 2013 Budget

The Director of Communication for the People�s National Convention (PNC), Henry Asante has hinted that the country should be prepared to face more deficits as the NDC government lazy about to put proper plans to use the single spine salary structure in paying public sector workers. He added that the government should have considered the arrears which has accrued due to the usage of the single spine to pay workers in the 2013 budget; in that the President should not complain about using 60% of the budget for paying salaries and emolument since he failed to put measures up to settle the outstanding amount which is likely to increase the nation�s deficits. Speaking on the strike issue of UTAG on Okay FM, he said that the demand of the teachers are not new because according to him the teachers demands started last year (in 2012) as, if the government had any plan to reconcile the arrears, the scheme would have taken care of the strike situation which has become the norm of the day. He stressed that the government cannot run away from this challenge since the NDC used the single spine salary implementation in their 2012 elections campaign, as they created the impression that the single spine has brought relief and comfort to the public sector workers in the country. According to him the lecturers of the various government universities are not many as their demands are not issues which should be dragged to the point of strike, so government should find money to pay the University Teachers Association of Ghana. He again said that the President�s intervention to resolve the strike actions of workers will motivate other organized labor to go on strike. He urged the government to pay 2012 workers arrears now since this year�s arrears are piling up for another danger in the country. He backed that the teachers must go on strike if they are not paid since that is the only way the government can show them the way to receive their outstanding money.