He said the new structure would not discriminate against any worker in the service; it will show equity and ensure equal work for equal pay.

Nana Akomea, who chaired the opening of the four day National Executive Committee meeting of the Civil Servants Association at Koforidua urged the Association to petition if it feels the implementation of the new salary structure would put some of its members in a disadvantage position.

He said they are lucky  to have a listening government, adding that, his doors are always open for them.

Touching on the decentralization programm,e the Minister said the role of the Civil Servant in its implementation is very critical, explaining that without them the work of the government would not go the way it is expected. But, he expressed surprise that to date some facilities needed for its proper implementation are in short supply in some districts of the country.

Nana Akomea assured however that efforts would be put in to correct the anomaly. James Amissah, acting Executive Secretary of the Civil Servants Association was very hard on the government for failing to ensure the early implementation of the new salary structure and thedelay in payment of their 10 percent allowance.

He said the government over the years has been insensitive to the plight of the civil servant, alleging that the government has not been fair to them anytime it comes to payment of allowances.

Mr Amissah alleged that when it came to the payment of allowances to 245,000 teachers, the government paid them at once but it is not able to pay civil servants whose strength is only 45,000 people.

According to him, the Association in 2006 signed a memorandum of understanding with the government on the new salary structure. He said the government has since failed to fulfill its part of the agreement and continue to give promise.

Mr. Amissah said the Association in a letter gave an ultimatum to the government to shift the date for the payment of their allowances from September, 2008 to March 31, 2008, but it failed to a reply to the letter.

He said "the government is only trying to put petrol on the fir, threatening that, “we want to abrogate the memorandum we signed with the government because it has not fulfilled its part of the agreement with us”.

He hinted that some PWD workers are planning to lay down their tools because they have not been paid their allowances since the year 2000.

The Acting Executive Secretary said, civil servants are making a lot of sacrifices but without recognition by the government, declaring that one cannot access the productivity of the civil servant. He said the promulgation of the Local Government Bill has brought a lot f challenges to the service.

Mr. Amissah said their patience is being threatened, adding that there are agitations from the workers that some of them are taxed on salaries which are yet to be paid to them and there are some whose salaries are being deducted for goods. They have already paid for declaring, “The machine at the Controller and Accountant General Department is sick”.