‘What kind of pay cut?’ – NDC MPs say nobody will touch their salaries

Some National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament have vowed that they will not accept any salary cuts to help redeem the country’s economy from its current challenges.

The vehement rejection follows a suggestion by Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah that MPs should consider a salary reduction.

However, Akatsi North MP, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe has kicked against the idea, saying any such move would be unfair on the legislators.

If the executive is talking about this then they should also look at the emoluments. What facilities do they have? As executive, they have more facilities than the legislators. We, for instance, provide a number of facilities for ourselves. We pay our drivers, we pay our secretariat, we buy our own fuel. So, if the executive is cutting their salaries, are they removing those facilities they enjoy? If those facilities they enjoy will be there then the pay cut for the legislators will not be a fair deal of us, Nortsu-Kotoe said as quoted by 3news.com.

His colleague lawmaker for Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem lawmaker, Samuel Attah Mills said members of the executive make a lot of money through various means, so they should accept a pay cut and leave the MPs alone.

READ ALSO: Businessman seeks help to find missing 1000 bags of rice worth about GHS350k

What kind of pay cut? he quizzed. They should let their own people take pay cuts. Their people are on boards, do you know how much they are making from these boards?

They haven’t given us common fund for over a year now. The pay cut thing is just a gimmick. If we are going to take a pay cut, what are they going to use the money for? We gave them millions of cedis to use for Covid, have they come to tell us what they used the money for? It is not about pay cut, it is about irresponsibility on their part.

Commenting on the same issue, Tamale North MP, Murtala Mohammed said his salary is untouchable.

I think that with all due respect, my good friend Kojo Oppong Nkrumah should give us a break. Nobody is taking a dime from my salary. What we are asking this government to do is to reduce the size of the government, he told TV3.

Meanwhile, members of the Council of State have agreed to a 20% reduction in their monthly allowances till the end of 2022.

According to the members, the move is to support the government in implementing its austerity measures to address the current economic challenges the country is facing.

In a meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Accra, the Chairman of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Siriboe II said the measure is in support of the 30% salary reductions by the executive.

Read Full Story