Dear Comrades, Today, Monday October 27, 2014 the teacher unions in the Ghana Education Service will embark on a nationwide strike action dubbed STRIKE WITHIN STRIKE, to press home for the following demands from the government: 1. Payment of salaries arrears to teachers who have worked for several months but have been paid only three months; 2. Payment of incremental credit arrears; 3. Payment of transfer grants; 4. Payment of car maintenance allowance; The unions include Coalition of Concerned Teachers - Ghana ( CCT ), Ghana National Association of Teachers ( GNAT ) and National Association of Graduate Teachers ( NAGRAT ). Some of these demands have been battling with as far back as 2013. The decision to carry out industrial action stems from the fact that some state institutions and state officials have deliberately refused to honour such payments and not SUBPOENA AD TESTIFICANDUM (General Form) from the National Labour Commission (NLC) could compel them to do so. Last Wednesday, the NLC subpoenaed the honourable minister of Finance, Mr. Seth Tekpe, honourable minister of education, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, Controller and Accountant General, Ms. Grace Adzroe, Director General of Ghana Education Service, Mr. Charles Ahetor Tsigah to appear before it to answer among other things why the above mentioned issues remain unresolved in the Ghana Education Service. The caption of the writ was SUBPOENA AD TESTIFICANDUM (General Form). Ms. Grace Adzroe came together with her Deputy in charge of Treasury. Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang refused to honour the subpoena in person; she sent Mr. Paul Kramper (PRO), and two other senior officers of the Ministry to represent her. Likewise, Mr. Tsigah refused to appear in person instead an HR officer from the GES came. Sadly, neither Hon. Seth Tekpe nor any of his officers from the Ministry of Finance honoured the subpoena. Again, no reason was assigned to his refusal to appear before the Commission. This is regrettable because if state institutions mandated to solve challenges of the state are flouted with impunity by state officials then this nation is doomed. Hon. Seth Tekpes action is a clear show of disrespect for the Commission and to Education in general. This is the same Minister who 1. stopped the tax waiver on imported vehicles to teachers, 2. stopped teacher training allowances, 3. introduced the bad policy of payment of three months arrears, 4. refused to pay allowances to graduates from colleges of education until they are placed on scale, 5. has refused to pay 24 months incremental credit arrears owned employees of Ghana Education Service, 6. took unilaterally decision to stop payment of some over 5,000 teachers on the flimsy excuse that they did not have financial clearance. It is important to note that for almost three years (I.e under the watch of Hon. Seth Tekpe) Ghana Education Service has never received even up to 20% of their budgetary allocation and this account for lack of chalk, teachers note books, and other teaching and learning materials in our schools. Today, if you visit most of our educational offices you are either asked to buy A4 sheets or pay something for photocopies of documents you request. This is appalling. The question is What have we done wrong as employees of Ghana Education Service to warrant all these embarrassment in the course of our professional duties? As leaders of teacher unions, we believe we have exhausted all avenues for resolving grievances yet no cogent solutions seem to have been found. We cannot also sit down for Ghanaian teachers to be used as a subsidy to the national budget, hence the need for STRIKE WITHIN STRIKE Members and the general public are to note that all the teacher unions embarking on the STRIKE WITHIN STRIKE are also key members of the FORUM and we continue to remain as such. Lets remember that what affect one affects all of us, therefore we should all support our leaders to fight what is rightfully ours. ...Signed. .. RAYMOND BOAKYE DARKWA GENERAL SECRETARY ( CCT )
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 09:21:13 +0000
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