The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has directed employers not to force their employees to report to work amid the severe flooding in Accra following a heavy downpour in the early hours of Monday June 29, warning that no job is worthany employee’s life.

During an interview on Citi Breakfast Show the minister suggested that workers be allowed to work remotely where possible as emergency services respond to widespread flooding caused by heavy rains.

Due to the challenge of limited responders given the scale of the flooding emergencies he insisted that workers be allowed to stay off work today.

“Our numbers are not enough to cover all the areas that have been affected, but we have deployed all the personnel we have, and we are doing all that we can to deal with the matter,” he said.

Mr Mohammed-Mubarak said employers should prioritise the safety of their staff rather than threaten them with sanctions for failing to report for work.

“But most importantly, to the employees and employers, let’s help to keep everybody alive. Employers should be mindful. Do not force people to come out, threatening that ‘if you do not come, I will not pay you or something’,” he noted adding that productivity continues after the safety of employees amid just a day absence other than forcing presence which is life risking.

“Remember if they are alive, they will come back the next day to work. If you force them to come out and something happens to them, you may end up spending more on them. If they should die, you will end up spending more at their funeral than you will spend today. So, let’s understand that and get them to work remotely,” the minister added.

Meanwhile the downpour has caused heavy disruption including road blocks, communities submerging, commercial vehicles inaundayed in flood waters and and fire outbreak at circle linked to the downpour prompting safety advisories from government agencies.

He advised residents of Accra to remain at home, citing forecasts of more rainfall that could worsen the flooding situation.

In the same vein, the Ghana Meteorological Authority earlier announced the downpour forecasting that it is likely to rain until 3p.m today June 29 and subsequent downpours nationwide linked to storms from Togo and other neighboring countries.