National Service personnel have decried the measly allowance paid them and have called on employers and the government to increase the monthly payment.
National President of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA), Emmanuel Brimpong Akosah, appealed to the government to consider increasing the allowance to enable the young personnel to make a meaningful living.
He cited the the minimum wage increment as a credible basis for the call for an increase in the allowance paid National Service personnel.
He also said service personnel have to pay high fees for accommodation, transportation and other responsibilities when they accept postings to various parts of the country.
Speaking at the national launch of the NASPA Week Celebration in Takoradi on the theme, “Sustainable Mining for National Development, An All in All Callâ€, he described the theme as appropriate since illegal mining activities were on the increase.
He noted that the drive against the menace cannot be achieved without the support of all and sundry and called on the personnel to add their voice in advocacy for the sustainable mining development drive to be achieved.
Mr Akosah announced that the National Service Personnel Week Celebration would start from July 26 - August 1 throughout the Districts in the country.
Mr Okatakyie Amankwa Afrifa, Western Regional Director of the National Service Secretariat Scheme, indicated that accepting postings to teach and going into the hinterlands to serve should not be seen as punishment and urged incoming personnel to accept postings to rural areas
He said the Scheme was not happy with the special posting adverts going on among personnel, posing some security threats which he said was being investigated by the National Security and cautioned that there was nothing like special postings.
He alleged that culprits who posed as agents take money illegally from entrants under the pretext of sending them to special offices which oftentimes resulted in rejection by the companies because they did not make such requests.
Mr Afrifa said the issue was worrying to the Scheme and that the scheme was therefore leaving no stone unturned to bring perpetrators to book to discourage the practice.
He urged the Personal to be brand ambassadors of the Scheme and to demonstrate the skills and knowledge acquired while at post wherever they found themselves as they exit the Scheme.