Labour analyst Austin Gamey has recommended that the appointing authorities issue a formal employment contract to the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah.
This advice comes in response to concerns raised about the commissioner’s extended tenure beyond his retirement age without proper contractual documentation.
The issue gained attention during a Public Accounts Committee sitting on Monday, January 29, 2024, where Member of Parliament Sam Nartey George exposed Owusu-Amoah for serving over two years without a formal contract.
Gamey stressed the illegality of public servants holding office beyond retirement age without a written contract, especially in the GRA commissioner’s case.
While acknowledging that some public servants may continue under casual arrangements, he emphasized the need for a legal contract.
During an interview on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, Mr Gamey suggested that if the appointing committee believes there is no immediate replacement for Owusu-Amoah, they should address the issue by providing him with a written employment contract.
“For now, the reality is that if you are 60 years old and you are in public services, you are first of all supposed to be told that you have attained the retirement age and therefore you quit the job. But some are given contracts and these contracts are not casual work. It is only casual work under our law that in certain circumstances, it will be a gentlemanly agreement to change the party employee and employed. But this one is not a casual job that was supposed to be done in a week or a month.
“If there is no one to replace him, the employer should give him a written contract of employment,” he stated.