[ 2017-02-09 ]

Go to court to defend your jobs- Kpessah Whyte tells sacked NSS employees
The immediate past head of the National Service
Secretariat has advised sacked employees of the
Secretariat to proceed to court and challenge the
legality of their dismissal.

Dr Kpessah Whyte is convinced the dismissal of the
205 workers who were engaged on December 15, 2016
is unacceptable and illegal.

He told Joy FM's Supermorning Show host Kojo
Yankson due diligence was done in the hiring of
the employees and any attempt to dispose off their
services will be illegal.


His comments come hours after the Secretariat, on
the advice of the newly approved Education
Minister, annulled the employment of the 205
workers.

A statement signed by the acting Executive
Director of the Secretariat Ussif
Mustapha, averred due process was not followed in
the recruitment of the 205 staff.


The statement cited a petition to the Public
Service Commission questioning the legitimacy of
the recruitment of the new workers, and a response
by the Commission asking the Kpessah Whyte led
Secretariat not to proceed with the recruitment
until a decision is made on the petition.


In December last year a group calling itself
 ‘Supporting Staff of the National Service
Scheme’ alleged that the immediate past CEO of
the Secretariat paid a whopping sum of
Ȼ100,000 to Zormelo and Associates, a
recruitment agency to hire new staff, most of whom
are members of the campaign team of the then
outgoing government.

The group petitioned the Nana Addo led government
to review the new recruitment when it settles
down. The transition team on the NPP side vowed to
review some of the appointments being made.

The group further claimed that even though they
are in the system as supporting staff, the
immediate past CEO by-passed them and handed
appointment letters to friends and cronies who
were loyal to the previous government.


To make matters worse, Dr Whyte also announced a
40 percent increase in allowances for National
Service Scheme employees which is to take effect
this month, even though the provisional budget
presented by the outgoing administration made no
provision for such increases.

In annulling the appointment of the workers Ussif
Mustapha reiterated that the workers were employed
in flagrant violation of due process and the PSC
must review the entire process and come out with
its own report.

"In the meantime, persons affected by this
decision should look forward to a new opportunity
to have the staff recruitment properly carried
out," Mustapha said in the statement.

But his predecessor vehemently disagrees with the
decision. He explained on SMS that he followed
due process every step of the way in recruiting
the staff.

He said in 2015 he wrote to the PSC requesting
their permission to recruit the aggrieved staff.
The PSC gave clearance after which he wrote to the
Finance and Education Ministries all of which were
notified and clearance letters granted.

Justifying why Ȼ100,000 had to be paid to a
recruitment agency to hire the workers, Dr Whyte
said there was no permanent HR at the Secretariat
and because the recruitment of the workers was in
the interest of the public service, Zormelo and
Associates was engaged to recruit on behalf of the
Secretariat.

He said out of the three agencies who threw in
their bids for the job of recruiting the staff,
Zormelo and Associates provided the most detailed
and cost effective bid.

He also questioned the decision by PSC to ask them
to hold on following the petition submitted by an
employee of the secretariat.

Dr Kpessah Whyte said the dismissal of the workers
was illegal and the affected persons must go to
court to enforce their right to be employed.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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