Labour consultant Austin Gamey backs revocation of last-minute public sector appointments

Labour consultant Austin Gamey supported government’s decision to revoke all public sector appointments made after December 7, 2024, calling it a necessary step to protect the country’s financial stability.

The directive, issued by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah on behalf of the government, cancels all last-minute public sector employment made after the specified date.

Speaking on Citi News on Thursday, February 13, 2025, Mr Gamey criticised the previous administration for a lack of transparency during the transition process.

“As an HR practitioner and a labour consultant, I can say they didn’t do the right thing. The transition period was vital.

“The former president and the new president sent their team to meet, but they were not honest enough to put on the table all the things they had as a concern—that they had employed this large number of people and that it would become part of the fiscal burden of the government,” he stated.

He stated that Ghana’s financial situation is already precarious, and an unchecked expansion of the public sector payroll would further strain government resources.

“The financial health of this country is already bleeding, and they further created more problems for the financial health of the nation.

“I think this is most unfair. So I think that it is a fair step being taken by the government to ensure that all of them are first withdrawn,” he said.

Austin Gamey added that only those who meet the necessary qualifications should be reappointed through a transparent and merit-based process.

“Those who genuinely merit the employment and not through partisan means can be recruited at the appropriate time. It is an unfair act to be done against this government and shouldn’t have been done in the first place,” he concluded.