The Head of the Local Government Service (LGS), Dr Nana Ato Arthur, has indicated that the Service will not lay off workers.
According to him, what the Service intends to do is to undertake staff rationalisation, an activity which ensures that staff are deployed to places where their services are needed most.
He said this in a press conference organised by his outfit in Accra yesterday.His comments were in response to a story carried by this paper on its front page on October 10, 2022.
The story which was titled – “Local Government Service to Lay off Workers” – stated that Head of LGS, Dr Nana Ato Arthur, who had a speech read on his behalf at the Third National Conference of Ghana National Association of Local Government Service Administrators (GALGA) in Tamale disclosed that, “the Service will soon undertake an exercise to lay off administrative officers from the LGS because the sector is bloated.”
The story further stated that the issue of bloating in the assemblies has resulted in the poor quality delivery of service within the administrative sector of the LGS in the country.
But speaking to the press yesterday, DrAto Arthur indicated that his office does not have the power to lay off workers in the Service.
He said the words contained in the speech that was read on his behalf spoke about a staff rationalisation, a human resource management tool for deploying staff and it is in line with systems and procedures the Public Service works with.
DrAto Arthur explained that there have been concerns about the increased number of Administrative Officers within the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCC) and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
He said the number of officers available in these offices far outweighs the work schedule assigned and this affects the caliber of officers.
He noted that the development also makes it difficult for administrative officers to learn on the job, as there is little or no work done, hence the need to rationalise.
He touted that the rationalisation exercise will cut off the excesses and make room for increased productivity.
The AtoArthur indicated that yesterday the head office had already held a meeting with heads of the RCC and MMDAs and had charged them to implement this initiative to ensure that the best result is derived from the administrative officers.
Giving other justification for staff rationalisation, DrAto Arthur observed that the local government has become more critical in the development needs of their localities and it is important the mechanisms are put in place to make the Service competitive.
He also noted that as the nation holds the concept of decentralisation in high esteem, it would be proper to structure the Service in order to enhance service delivery at the local level.
Meanwhile, his Office has also issued a letter to respond to the same issue.The letter was signed by the Chief Director, Mr James Oppong-Mensah.
