Three teacher unions in the country are currently on strike over delay in payment of legacy arrears due them.
The unions: the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) said they will not resume work until they receive their arrears.
Speaking to this in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, National President, Ghana National Association of Teachers, Ms. Philippa Larsen said: “we don’t trust anything they say again . . . we are really disappointed and so we had to advise ourselves.”
According to her, “we are not resuming work if we are not paid. It is not time for negotiations or discussions . . . in the next meeting we expect to see documents or proofs saying that we have paid this number and so on. Anything short of that we will not go back to work."
However, the Ghana Education Service in response described the strike as unfortunate because more than half of the beneficiaries have been paid.
The Director-General of the GES, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwah who was speaking on the same platform said, the GES would publish the list of its staff who benefited from the legacy arrears.
Listen to full interviews in the videos below
Meanwhile, the GES in a statement signed by Prof. Opoku-Amankwa, said since 2017, the current government had paid arrears due to those who deserved them, adding that it was significant to note that as of September 2019, about 87,556 members of staff of the GES had been paid their full salary arrears, representing 95 per cent of the total staff validated.
“On November 9, 2019, the management of the GES received another set of data from the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department covering 1,847 personnel who were to be paid the salary arrears,” it said.
Close examination of the data, it said, indicated that anomalies would have led to an excess payment of GH¢11.3 million.
“Some of the personnel were to be paid on undeserved rank. Some of the names had no personal records on the GES payroll from 2012 to 2014 to establish that they could be owed salary arrears over that period.
“Some of the listed personnel were not owed any salary arrears and yet had been credited with huge sums of money, in some cases up to GH¢58,000. Some female personnel were to be paid Night Watchmen allowance when they have never been Night Watchmen within the GES. Some staff who were owed about six months had been credited for only two months,” it said.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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The finance department of the GES needs a complete reshuffle , they are corrupt more than Even the police
THIS GOVERNMENT IS JUST A FUNNY GOVERNMENT. WHEN PEOPLE WERE GOING ON STRIKES DURING NDC TIME EVERYONE IN NPP SHOWED SOME HIGH LEVEL OF INTEREST IN SUCH STRIKES. NOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED THE OTHER WAY ROUND AND I HEARD ON RADIO SOME PROMINENT NPP PEOPLE SAYING THAT NDC WAS THE PARTY BEHIND THE STRIKE. SIMPLY PUT THEN THE NDC CONTROLS AFFAIRS EVEN WHEN THEY (NDC) ARE IN OPOSITION.
TO ALL THE THREE UNION LEADERS, YOUR DECISION TO GO ON STRIKE IS VERY UNFAIR. WHAT ARE YOU PROTECTING? WE SHOULD ALL BE CITIZENS AND NOT SPECTATORS. MAJORITY HAVE BEEN PAID FULLY(ABOUT 70%)AND THE REST ARE BEING WORKED ON, WHICH YOU ARE FULLY AWARE. WHERE IS YOUR LOYALTY TO MOTHER GHANA? LORD HAVE MERCY.
I THINK THESE POLITICIANS HIDING BEHIND TEACHER UNIONS SHOULD BE EXPOSED FOR BLACKMAIL AND ATTEMPTING TO SHIELD AND BENEFIT FROM FRAUDULENT PAYMENTS. IF THEY COULD TOLERATE 3-MONTHS TAKE IT-OR-LEAVE AREAR IN 2012-2016 WHY CAN'T THEY WAIT FOR JUST 3 WEEKS FOR THE REMAINING 5% TO BE VERIFIED AND PAID. IF THEY ARE DOING THIS TO COURT FAVOURS FROM THEIR PAYMASTERS IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF THEY WINNING 2020, THEN THEY SHOULD BE PREPARING THEIR HANDING OVER NOTES. WE CANNOT TRUST THEM EITHER.
I am disappointed in these Union leaders. Where were you when the government who issued the appointment letters those times and said irrespective of the number of months worked he will pay 3 months? Were they in bed with the then government between 2012-2016? They should rather support the current government to clear the mess they inherited. We should also think of passing a law that will task Unions to pay members their salaries when they embark on strike, particularly unjustified ones like this. Where about 350, 000 teachers draw their salaries. While the issue here is about about arrears for a few, considering the total number of teachers.
GES, for us to take you serious that what you are saying is true, identify the people who compiled that fictitious list of legacy arrears beneficiaries and prosecute them. I pray you keep proper records at the GES. Some of your teachers change their dates of birth with impunity, doctor their ranks with impunity and inundate the payroll with a lot of ghost names. Prove me wrong.
We teachers also don’t you(GNAT) either , you are using us to propagate your own selfish agenda, we have seen you
MANASSEH NOW TURNS NDC GEN SECRETARY AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS. GHANAIANS KNOW NANAN IS NOT AND CAN NEVER BE INCOMPETENT. HE IS A SMART MAN WITH NO COMPETITOR SO FAR IN GHANA, WELL KNOWN FACT IN GHANA. BUT MAHAMAH IS A ***barred word***, THAT IS A FACT. MAHAMAH IS A ***barred word***, A FACT. NANA IS NOT AND WILL NEVER BE A ***barred word***, A FACT. NANAN HAS DELIVERED,. MAHAMAH CAME AND LOOTED, A FACT. SO MANESSEH, DON'T OVER EAT DOG HEAD MEAT AND COME AND TALK LIKE YOU'VE GOT RABIES FROM EATING DOG HEAD MEAT.