Cycle of delays in payment of allowances for National Service Persons begins

Personnel of the National Service members who started their mandatory one-year service have started facing challenges with the delays in the payment of their service allowances.

Those who face the challenges often work with public institutions. At the time of this publication, information available to NewsGhana24 was that the 2024/2025 batch is yet to receive their monthly allowance of GH¢ 715.00 for both November and December 2024.

This sad development, while not new, only ushers personnel into the infamous cycle of delays in the payment of allowances.

The October 2024 allowance was disbursed late and in December 2024, just a few days before the December 7th general election. This means that at least each month’s allowance is delayed a month and a maximum of 2 months. That said, it is possible. that only the November arrears may be paid in January and that of December 2024 paid in February or later if nothing is done by the new government to halt the cycle of delay.

Per the policy of the NSA, personnel are to be paid their allowance at a NET 30. This means that ‘the previous month’s allowance arrives one month later. Thus, ideally, any delay for one month would be settled in the following month.

As of 21st January, the 2024/2025 personnel had not been paid their November allowance. The delays in NSP payments have been a recurring issue that needs to be halted. Procedural issues are always blamed on those in leadership each time there are delays and these leaders have failed to resolve these so-called procedural issues.

The NSA has frequently insisted that the affected personnel have not followed the correct procedures, further frustrating NSPs. Some have reported relying on borrowed money to survive. The delays have sparked protests in the past. For instance, in July 3, 2024, the Concerned National Service Scheme Personnel Association of Ghana (CONSPAG) initiated a nationwide strike over unpaid allowance.

READ: MFWA petitions OSP to probe NSA over posting of over-aged individuals for national service

“We are entitled to our monthly allowance as we render mandatory service to the state. According to NSS rules and regulations, personnel who fail to report at the post for three months after posting will be sanctioned, and we have been working with empty stomachs and other unfriendly conditions of work for five and three months without allowance, the statement released about the protest read.

However, the NSA never gets sanctioned if it fails to pay allowance on time for all those who report to work and work diligently. The cycle of delays in payment of allowances for National Service Persons demands an effort that aims at resolving the systemic endemic problem.