Controller and Accountant General proposes a test result for effective SSSS

General, Mr R.K. Tufuor has proposed a two-month respite to enable the Controller and Accountant General's Department (CAGD) run a test result on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) to enable stakeholders make inputs for efficient pay roll under the policy.

He said the two-month period would enable the CAGD to run a test on the pay documents and information received from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning as well as to key in comments from stakeholders to the pay structure to correct anomalies and confusion that was synonymous with the 1999 Ghana Universal Salary Scheme (GUSS).

Mr. Tufuor made the proposal at a staff durbar organised by CAGD and attended by Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Dufuor in Accra on Thursday.

In 1999, the NDC Government engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers to come out with the GUSS, described by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, as the most recent attempt and the first comprehensive pay reform in the country to address salary inequities within the Public Service.

The GUSS initially covered Civil Service, Judiciary Service, Education Service and nurses with the eventual aim of covering all public service institutions but the scheme could not achieve the universal salary objectives since some public service workers were allowed to opt out of it.

In addition, the Central Management Board and Appellate Body, set up to manage the implementation of GUSS, were not backed by any legal instrument and not adequately resourced. Consequently, disparities in pay and grading continued to prevail in the public sector.

Mr. Tufuor said information on the pay roll for SSSS should not be shrouded in secrecy nor the content be a surprise to the public.

He stressed that a test result for the pay policy would ensure a smooth take off of the policy structure that would meet both the objective of SSSS and satisfaction of all stakeholders.

Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Dr. Dufuor called on Mr Tufuor to liaise with the Auditor General for quick completion and deployment of Departmental Accounting Manuals for the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to enhance the operational effectiveness of the units.

He expressed hope that with the implementation of the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System most of the challenges in the public financial management of accounts especially on the issue of 'ghost names' would be addressed.

"That is why you as accountants must take the financial management component of the GIFMIS project very seriously and ensure that it is successfully implemented to facilitate easy in putting of data from all data centers across the country as well as quick processing of transaction and obtain real-time information for the preparation of the public accounts," he said.

The objective of GIFMIS is to supply and implement an integrated and robust accounting financial control system to ensure inter-agency sharing of financial information and ensure the timely provision of reliable financial information to support accountability in public financial resources.

The first phase of the project is the installation of hardware and software in selected MDAs on pilot basis, followed by implementation of the new system in the pilot MDAs and integration of the payroll management module with the new system.

Dr Dufuor called on management of CAGD to educate its staff to enable them undertake effective education of beneficiaries under the SSSS during its implementation.

GNA