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President John Dramani Mahama has called on organised labour to support the government to push through the proposal to abolish entitlements enshrined in Article 71 of the Constitution and put in place an independent emoluments commission to review and be in charge of the entitlements.

"If labour will be a partner with the government, we should be able to move this constitutional reform forward so that we have a fair and transparent platform on which all public sector workers, notwithstanding the category, are remunerated accordingly," he said.

The President made the call at the second national forum on the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP) which ended in Takoradi last Saturday.

Article 71

Article 71 (1) of the Constitution provides: “The salaries and allowances payable, and the facilities and privileges available, to (a) The Speaker and Deputy Speakers and Members of Parliament; (b) The Chief Justice and the other justices of the Superior Court of Judicature; (c) The Auditor-General, the Chairman and Deputy Chairmen of the Electoral Commission, the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice and his deputies, and the District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator; (d) The Chairman, Vice Chairman and the other members of (i) a National Council for Higher Education howsoever described: (ii) the Public Services Commission; (iii) the National Media Commission, (iv) the Lands Commission and (v) the National Commission for Civic Education, being expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund, shall be determined by the President on the recommendation of a committee of not more than five persons appointed by the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State.”

Article 71 (2) also provides: “The salaries and allowances payable, and the facilities available to the President, the Vice-President, the Chairman and the other members of the Council of State, Ministers of State and their Deputy Ministers, being expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund, shall be determined by Parliament, on the recommendations of the committee referred to in Clause (1) of this article.”

Currently, the emoluments contained in Article 71, among other packages, enjoin the state to build houses for ex-Presidents of the country.

On June 8, 2010, President J.E.A. Mills swore in a five-member presidential committee, chaired by Professor Mariam Ewurama Addy, to determine the salaries of Article 71 office holders as required by the Constitution.

President Mills proposed to the Prof. Addy Committee to scrap the arrangement that enjoined the state to build houses for former Presidents.

In place of the houses, President Mills recommended that rent allowances be paid to former Presidents to cater for their accommodation, beginning from the end of their tenure of office, which did not happen before he died in office.

Power

As expected, the power challenges did not escape the attention of President Mahama, who told the gathering that he had asked the Minister of Power to hold a special session with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the leadership of organised labour to share with them "prognosis on the resolution of the power crisis".

"I am sure such a forum will create a better understanding of the challenges the government is dealing with and the efforts being put in to resolve them," said.

Subvented organisations 

Mr Mahama also indicated the government's desire to wean off some subvented agencies that were capable of supporting themselves from the government budget.

"I expect other institutions to work towards such a goal in the near future through serious organisational re-structuring and the adoption of innovation to be able to stand on their feet," he said.