The Divisional Executive Council members of the National Commission on Culture has through a petition to the sector minister asked the commission’s management to be dissolved and to investigate allegations levelled against them .
Read the full petition below;
THE HONOURALE MINISTER
MINISTRY OF TOURISM,CULTURE AND CREATIVE ARTS
MINISTRIES
ACCRA
Dear Madam
PETITION FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL COM
MISSION ON CULTURE
The Divisional Executive Committee,with the consent and concurence of the majorit
y of the Divisional Executive Council members;demonstrating fairness and the princi
ples of natural justice when many corruption allegations were levelled against some i
ndividuals in Management;taking our time to conduct investigations on these allegat
ions;and hoping that the fear of God and the discipline to cease,desist and amend
ways will naturally end these alleged wrongdoings;and regrettably recognising that t
hese alleged wrongdoings keep recurring and that the situation is getting worse;petiti
on your good office for the dissolution and total overhaul of the Management of the
National Commission on Culture,on the following grounds:
1.Ccorruption scandals which culminate in the extortion of seven months sal
ary of some staff of the Centres for National Culture,demand for ten perce
nt(10%)of posting/transfer grant of staff who previously embarked on po
stings,misappropriation of NAFAC 2024 funds,using private account to col
lect monies instead of the Commission’s account for proper account and re
ceipting,for cohort training programme.
2.Wasting of the Centres for National Culture lands including sand wining act
ivities on the Centre’s land in Takoradi (now ceased)while failing to ensure
public accountability of the proceeds realised from same.failure to stop the construction of a purported warehouse on the Centre’s land in the theUpper East Region
3.Political appointment of the Executive Directors.Without being Article 70 office holders,the Acting Executive Director and his Deputy,under partisan political expediency,were incompetently appointed to their position by the erstwhile New Patriotic (NPP)Government without following important principles of advertisement of vacancy and competitive selection process for appointing such officers in the public service.
4.Administrative injustices culminating in the arbitrary and selective application of the rules of engagement (Collective Agreement,PSC HR Manual)to promote some staff secretly;appoint others based on cronyism;mass postings of staff without due regard for cost to the state,productivity and the individual and the family welfare of many of these staff members;ignoring the
affirmed requirement of senionity laid down in the Centres’Collective Agree
ment and the Public Services Commission Human Resource Manual in app
ointing junior officers to directorship and other heads of department positions in the Centres and the Commission;the refusal to correct same and lack of transparency in the exercise of administrative discretion and even the union drawing the attention of Management to these practices was not enou
gh to stop them as they tyrannicallly,oppressively,and vindictively maintai
ned their stance.
5.Allegation of Visa Racketeering including presenting non staff members for
KenteFest in the UK for pecuniary gains and a current issue of confimation
sought by an Embassy,on staff status of some individuals presented to it
by the Commission for travel purposes (the Union is in the process of investigating this)
1.Management interferences in Union activities including the Acting Deputy Executive Director and his Deputy continuously staying on their positions as
Vice Chairman and Secretary respectively in the Divisional Union and Direct
ors and Accountants Conference.These facts are known to Management yet they have failed to prevail on them to withdraw from the Union and the Directors and Accountants Conference positions respectively.The Union throug
h the Chaiman has admonished the Deputy to step aside from the union.This demonstrates a lack of principle on the part of a leader and the benefit to them is that they disrupt the decision-making processes of the Union and
the Conference,so as to weaken them while gaining more grounds to perpetrate administrative injustice against the staff in addition to gagging dissenting opinion.
6.Micro-management of the Regional Centres including directly taking admin
istrative and disciplinary decisions meant for the Regional Directorates as
provided for by the National Commission on Culture Law(PNDC Law 238).
The Commission has been overstepping its boundaries for some time now.
Thereby undermining and usurping the authority of the Regional Centres contrary to the PNDC Law 238.
7.Recorded history of sexually inappropriate conduct with the modus operandi used including undue influence,coercion,frustration,bullying and intimi
dating the female staff to give in to sexual advances.
Hon Minister,the reasons for this petition are to:
1.Protect the Centres properties.
2.Curtail institutional corruption.
3.Prevent workplace mental health deterioration.
4.Affirm sound administrative principles and practice.
5.Save workers and their families from economic depression and disintegrati
on.
6.Protect young female workers.
7.Curtail Management interferences in the Union.
Respectfully,Madam,we derive and maintain our capacity for this petition from the following sources of law.Articles 23,24(3),27 (2),28(e),41 (d,e),296 Parts Xl and Xl
l of the Laour Act 2003(Act 651),the Centres Collective Agreement of 2016 and the Public Services Commission Human Resource Manual.
We are of the firmest conviction that reading together these legal provisions imply a duty of high standard,enjoining public officers to competently appointed within the law and same must,eof high moral standard and integrity,protect the image of the in
stitution and its resources including landed properties and financial resources,ensure
administrative justice including exercising discretion fairly;guard the existing peaceful
industrial atmosphere;and ensure productive deployment of staff and seek their welfare.Unfortunately,the Management of the Commission seem to breach this duty an
d the resulting damage is the wasting of some of the Centre’s landed properties,publi
c funds and workers’eamed salaries;human rights abuses and toxic working environ
ment.
In view of the grounds raised and the reasons stated for this petition,we respectfully request your good office,Madam,to:
1.Establish a prima facie case and urgently request the Management members including the Executive Director and his Deputy to step aside for full deta
ils of these allegations to be established.
2.Conduct an extensive payroll audit as we believe our payroll is fraught with
corupt practices
3.Sanction individuals who may be found culpable in these allegations.
4.Adopt any other remedy that the Honourable Minister may deem fit to restore sanity and reset our institution.We hope for an opportunity for further discussions on these allegations
.Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Isaac Mensah.
Divisional Chairman.
Solomom Amoh-Mensah.
Divisional Secretary
Cc:
Secretary-General
TUC
source: yagbonradioonline
