Credibility of Nov 7 polls could be tainted – CEDEO warns

The Coalition of Domestic Observers (CODEO) has warned that the credibility of the 2016 general election could be seriously tainted if the concerns of Electoral Commission staff are not taken seriously.

The Senior Staff Association on behalf of the entire staff in a letter to the EC Chairperson Charlotte Osei, have resolved to embark on a series of actions geared towards crippling activities of the Commission.

According to them, authorities of the EC have failed to address their generally poor conditions of service.

“All salary negotiations undertaken with the relevant institutions and authorities since 2012 have yielded no resolution.”

They have therefore decided to:

a) On 8th of February, 2016, the entire staff of the Electoral Commission will raise red flags in all Commission’s establishments and vehicles as a sign of our dissatisfaction and aversion of the state of affairs

b) On 15th February, 2016, the entire staff will embark on a sit-down strike, and

c) On 22th February, 2016, a full-blown strike will be embarked upon by the entire staff.

They are hopeful the strike will put pressure on authorities to address their grievances.

A former director of elections at the EC and incumbent national coordinator of CODEO, Kofi Arhin in an interview with Joy News said the concerns of the workers must be addressed with all the urgency required.

“It is unfortunate it is coming at a time when we are busy preparing for elections. For example somebody like me who was a director of elections for a very long time, when I finished my tenure and I was to take my pension, my pension was ?486.00 and this was in 2012 after 34 years with the Commission.

“My problem is that they might mar the beauty of the elections. If they are not going to work, who is going to conduct the elections? Of course, if somebody who is going to conduct the elections is hungry, it means they are susceptible,” he told Joy News Afreh Kwakye Nuamah.

He called for urgent steps to be taken to resolve the issues, “because it is going to mar the beauty of the elections and the calendar they have put in place might not work according to plan.”