MDAs To Introduce Clocking System Next January

The government has directed all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to introduce clocking system in all their organisations by January next year. That, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, said was to enhance punctuality and productivity in the public sector. �While labour is demanding increases in wages and salaries, the government has a duty to demand enhanced productivity. We should know when you come in and go out; when you go for lunch and return and whether we should be paying you for non-service and evasion of duty or not,� he said. Clocking System A clocking system biometrically captures the time and attendance of workers and it is seen as a better option to the manual time and attendance system in the various MDAs, where workers write the time they arrive at and leave their offices. Job Summit The minister, who was speaking at the launch of a National Job Summit scheduled for September 3-4, 2014, said the ministry would ensure compliance with the directive in the course of the year. The National Job Summit, to be organised by the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), will bring together about 550 local and foreign participants. Trade unions Last week, workers unions under the umbrella of Organised Labour embarked on a nation-wide demonstration over the worsening economic situation in the country. Ghana�s public sector wages ballooned from GH�2.9 billion in 2009 to GH�9 billion (73 per cent of tax revenue), including salary arrears in 2012. Productivity With more than 700,000 workers in the public sector being paid from the public kitty, there have been calls for increased productivity in the sector, as compensation for their work goes up. The National Job Summit will serve as a platform for interaction among all stakeholders in the employment sector and also help in devising good strategies for job creation to help achieve the goal of reaching full employment by 2030. Relevant stakeholders It also seeks to engage relevant stakeholders, think tanks and social partners on the avenues for job creation in all sectors of the economy and also share knowledge and best practices in job creation at the national, regional and international levels. Mr Iddrisu indicated that the importance of the summit could not be underestimated because of the increasing need for countries to create sustainable employment opportunities for the teeming youth and the population in general. Economic and social cost He said the economic and social cost of unemployment, long-term unemployment and widespread low quality jobs for the youth continued to rise and the skills mismatch on the labour market had become a persistent and growing trend. According to the minister, as Ghana aspired to become an industrialised nation, there was the need for a skilled workforce which could provide the country with an efficient public transport system, affordable but safe housing, and reliable energy supply, among others.