We’ve Been Mandated To Carry Out Payroll Monitoring - Fair Wages

The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has clarified its directive to the heads of public sector institutions to conduct internal payroll audits as it plans to embark on the nationwide payroll monitoring exercise. This comes after the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) challenged commission’s authority to carry out a payroll audit.

The Head of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Earl Ankrah said that the payroll monitoring exercise is to deal with any discrepancies in the Single Spine salary structure. One important fact that is worth noting is the Fair Wages Act which put together the single spine pay policy, tasks the commission to monitor and evaluate allowances to the benefit of civil servants.

So monitoring is integral in the work of the Fair Wages. For us to do these things and advise government accordingly, we should be able to carry out these monitory exercises. This is not the first time we are doing this. We have been doing it with the Controller and Accountants General on a yearly basis in monitoring the salaries being paid. Just that this time, we are going on a nationwide and large scale through the Fair Wages Act, he added.

Beginning April 1, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission will begin a nationwide payroll monitoring exercise in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. This is being done to detect and eliminate any existing fraud or anomalies. The Commission has thus directed heads of public-sector institutions to conduct internal payroll audits.

It encourages all boards, councils, and heads of public-sector institutions to conduct their own internal payroll audits and clean up ahead of the audit. Institutions and individuals who have received fraudulent salaries and allowances are also being advised to take steps to refund them and refrain from further fraudulent practices or face legal consequences.