The 2010-2011 retirees of Ghana’s premier university, University of Ghana (UG), Legon, are before the Industrial and Labour Division of the Accra High Court to demand from their former employer, payment of arrears of their ex-gratia after the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) was implemented.
Mr. Bernard Acquah Impraim, former chairman of the UG’s Tertiary Education Workers Union (TEWU) who is leading about 200 retirees, in an interview with The Chronicle said they retired when the University was working on the implementation of the SSSS, which was subsequently executed in September 2011.
Mr. Impraim lamented that, all other public universities have paid their employees the differences on the ex-gratia based on the SSSS and were given their due arrears.
He added that, even within the University of Ghana, staff of the School of Business who retired in 2010 and 2011 have been paid the differences on their ex-gratia and basic salaries with SSSS.
According to Mr. Impraim, the SSSS was implemented in September 2011, and they received arrears on their basic salaries because of the implementation of the SSSS, which means ex-gratia too was to be affected by the changes in the salary structure.
However, the institution refused to pay and all attempts by the about 200 retirees to seek redress have proved futile.
He explained that they (the retirees) petitioned the University in a letter dated September 11, 2012, and entitled; “An appeal for Supplementary payment of Ex-gratia”, after the arrears on their basic salaries had been paid on the SSSS. The UG wrote back to the retirees to acknowledge receipt of their petition.
Mr. Impraim intimated that, on December 2, 2012, they received another letter from the University informing them that their petition has been sent to the senior management, so they were hopeful that something good would come out.
He lamented that on January 30, 2014, the group received a letter from their former employer that the institution was sorry the request by the 2010-2011 retirees cannot be granted.
He said the letter explained that, the arrears on the basic salaries were paid by the government of Ghana but the difference on the ex-gratia would have to be paid through the UG’s internally generated fund (IGF), which was not possible because they cannot absorb it.
The former UG TEWU chairman continued that upon receipt of the final response from their erstwhile employer, he, together with the support of his colleagues, who are all over 60 years of age proceeded to court to seek redress.
He noted that they filed a case entitled: “Bernard Acquah Impraim and 93 others vrs University of Ghana”, which is still pending before a court of competent jurisdiction.
When asked of the relieves they are seeking from the court, Mr. Impraim said they’ve asked their counsel to among others pray the court to compel the university to come out to state whether the plaintiffs do not qualify for the ex-gratia.
They are also asking the court to find out on which structure was their 2010-2011 basic salary arrears calculated and if their former employer had used the SSSS, how much arrears would have been accrued on the ex-gratia among other things.
When asked whether they would agree to an out of court settlement if the need arose, Mr. Impraim responded in the affirmative, saying their major concern is to be given what is due them.
The case, which was presided over by Justice Alhaji Saed Kwaku Gyan, has been adjourned to February 26, 2015, for further hearing.
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