The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has clamped down on the management of Anlo-Afiadanyigba Senior High School, ordering the immediate disbursement of GH₵10,802 to five casual workers who were systematically underpaid by the institution.

The sweeping directive follows a legislative review of the Auditor-General’s report, which exposed a severe breach of the country's labour and wage laws by the school's administrative authorities.

According to the state audit, the five temporary employees were subjected to an illegal monthly salary of just ₵250 for a nine-month period during the 2024 fiscal year.

The forensic audit detailed that during the period under review, the national statutory baseline required a minimum monthly remuneration of ₵490 for casual labourers. By keeping the workers at ₵250, the school administration effectively deprived the vulnerable staff of nearly half their legal earnings.

Appearing before the parliamentary watchdog committee to answer for the structural anomaly, the school's management attempted to mitigate the infraction by arguing that remedial steps had been taken. They informed the lawmakers that the salaries of the affected workers had since been upwardly adjusted to ₵450 per month in 2025.

However, the defense quickly collapsed when committee members pointed out that the new 2025 adjustment of ₵450 still fell flatly below the revised national minimum wage standard for the current year.

Consequently, the committee threw out the school’s justifications and issued a firm timeline for the authorities to calculate and refund the outstanding financial differences to the workers.

The Ranking Member of the Committee, Mr Samuel Atta-Mills, criticised the school's leadership, linking the underpayment of institutional security personnel to the wider problem of recurring thefts in public second-cycle schools.

“Why do you need a security guy? You want this person to secure the school, protect the property and you are underpaying the guy. If you don’t pay him the right amount, he will pay himself. When your computer gets missing, don’t go and ask him because you are underpaying him,” Mr Atta-Mills warned.

He further admonished public sector executives against using structural poverty as a tool for corporate exploitation.

“Just because somebody is poor doesn’t mean we should take advantage of that person. Just because somebody needs a job doesn’t mean we have to take advantage of that person. Pay people the right wages,” the lawmaker stated.

The Chairperson of the PAC, Abena Osei-Asare, firmly backed the directive, emphasising that the state would employ its full legislative weight to ensure absolute compliance with the nation's wage regulations.

She warned the school's leadership that the committee would track the case to its logical conclusion to ensure the workers are fully compensated.

“We will pursue you to make sure that you give it to them because they have worked for it,” the Chairperson declared.

The management of Anlo-Afiadanyigba SHS is expected to submit formal evidence of the retroactive payments to the Auditor-General and the committee during the next parliamentary sitting cycle.