Over GH¢7m Airport staff welfare deductions not transferred – Audit report

The latest Auditor General’s report has revealed that management of the Ghana Aiport Company failed to transfer over seven million cedis of welfare deductions they made from staff to the various fund managers and SSNIT.

“We noted that the Company had not transferred a total of GH¢7,553,997.10 as welfare and other insurance deducted on behalf of staff to the various Fund Managers. We recommended to Management to honor this obligation as entrusted to them,” an audit report said.

The report also noted the company overspent its approved budget for 2020.

“Contrary to Regulation 23 and 27 of the Public Financial Regulations, 2019 (L. I. 2378), the Company had spent above its approved budget by a GH¢25,695,842.64. Non-compliance with the above Regulation had accounted for this irregularity. We recommended to Management to spend within budget as it put stress on the financial position of the Company”.

The disclosure comes in the wake of the tension at the Airport company between the workers and management.

On Monday, staff of the company staged a protest demanding the transfer of their funds to the respective fund managers.

The demand followed a physical assault of a worker by the Managing Director for the company Yaw Kwakwa during a staff meeting over their 13-month arrears.

The said assault which was captured on video in possession of Starr News has heightened the agitations from the workers who have been demanding the removal of Mr. Kwakwa over mismanagement for a while now.

SSNIT has, however, sued the Ghana Airport Company over its failure to pay the contribution of workers.

Speaking to Starr News about the development, the chairman for the local chapter of the Public Services Workers Union, Abdul Isaka Bamba described the physical assault on the worker as unfortunate.

According to Mr. Bamba failure to release the funds has brought untold hardship on staff who are unable to access loans from their credit union.