The Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA) Josiah J. Joekai has warned against the unauthorized blocking and withholding of civil servants salaries at some government functionaries.
According to Joakai, only the CSA and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) have the exclusive responsibility to block, withhold, or suspend the payments of any salary of a civil servant.
He said some heads of government spending entities or their Human Resources Directors have consistently communicated with banks to withhold payments of civil servants’ salaries on grounds of suspension or dismissal.
“Let this also claim the attention of banks to which civil servants’ monthly salaries are deposited, that only the CSA and MFDP can and should sanction any action regarding civil servants’ salary payment,” he said.
The CSA boss said at no time did responsibility to block or withhold salaries fall within the ambit of the heads of spending entities or their human resources directors.
He said this action is neither backed by law nor common practice considering the far-reaching roles and responsibilities of the CSA as spelled out in the 2012 Standing Orders of the Civil Service, the 1973 Act creating the CSA, and the Revised Human Resource Policy Manual of 2014.
