Minority spokesperson on Employment and social welfare Dr. Kwabena Donkor has raised red flags over the December 1 deadline handed public sector workers to get their Ghana cards or risk losing their salaries.

This comes after the government issued the directive on Tuesday.

The controller and accountant general’s office in a statement explained that the move is part of efforts to harmonize its systems to ensure speedy administration of Government’s payroll.

But in a reaction, Dr. Donkor insists the timeline is too short for workers.

"I've spoken to some workers and a number of them have told me that the time is just too short since some of them don't have the Ghana card.

He noted that getting the Ghana card when it was launched was not easy. As a result, a lot of Ghanaians are yet to get the card.

Further, he argued that not having a Ghana card cannot be a basis for denying workers their salaries since it was not part of the terms and conditions of employment.

"The average Ghanaian worker on the controller's payroll has a contract of employment, that contract of employment does not involve the production of a Ghana card

He acknowledged that the goal of the directive which is to rid the payroll system of fraud (as explained by the government) is laudable, however, the time frame allocated to it is a "misnomer."

"If administratively we find out that using the Ghana card can help us prevent fraud which nobody in Ghana wants, and administer the payroll more efficiently which we all want, that's a good thing but the methodology must also serve the interest of the workers," he said.

He emphasised that Ghanaians in especially remote areas will not be able to meet the set deadline, considering the amount allocated as the cost of getting the Ghana Card.

"There were a lot of hurdles when we initially were rolling out the Ghana Card. This time, we are rolling it again but under a different regime where people will have to pay for it. So let's be sensitive to the needs of workers," he added.

Government on October 12, 2021, announced that effective December 1, 2021, employers without Ghana cards will not be paid.

This comes at a time where many Ghanaians are already working around the clock to get Ghana cards to re-register their mobile sim cards.

The directive, according to the government is to reduce the risk of undeserving payments or claims, as well as ensure a speedy administration of the payroll.