NSS to weed out national service dodgers

The National Service Scheme (NSS) is set to deploy an enforcement team to all private and public organisations across the country to weed out workers who have not undertaken their mandatory national service.

A statement issued by the NSS said the enforcement team would visit both private and public organisations across the country to ensure that Act 426 (1980) of the NSS is complied with, and offenders prosecuted.

According to the statement, some Ghanaian Nationals who are eligible for the mandatory national service do not fulfil this obligation but still gain employment.

The enforcement team is expected to start work on Monday, September 10.

The Deputy Executive Director of the Scheme, Gifty Oware-Aboagye explained that “The enforcement team is supposed to start from Monday so we have had several meetings with our mother agencies like the Ministry of Education and we have our final meeting by close of Wednesday,”

What the Act says

A person who has not commenced and completed his period of national service shall not-
(a) obtain employment outside the Scheme; or

(b) be employed by any other person outside the Scheme; or

(c) be engaged in any employment outside the Scheme, whether self-employed or otherwise, without the prior permission, in writing, of the Board.

It shall be the duty of every employer to ascertain from every employee, upon his appointment, whether or not he is liable to national service and if he is, the employer shall notify the fact to the Board forthwith.