The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Tanko Musah, has urged the government to authorise the Controller and Accountant-General's Department to pay promoted teachers their appropriate salaries. According to him, the teacher unions were assured during negotiations that promoted teachers would not be required to submit additional documents before their salary adjustments were effected. However, this assurance has not been implemented.
Mr Tanko Musah stated that once the government had authorised the payment of the appropriate salaries, it was responsible for ensuring that the funds were paid to the affected teachers. He emphasised that teachers are employees of the government and not the Controller and Accountant-General's Department, which only handles the payment of their salaries on behalf of the state. The unions had entered negotiations with the government in good faith, but the agreed arrangements had not been implemented.
The GNAT Secretary General stressed that the unions' concerns were with the government over the implementation of the agreed salary payments for newly promoted teachers, rather than the Controller and Accountant-General's Department. He explained that the government had instructed the Controller to pay the salaries automatically to teachers, but this had not been done. Mr Tanko Musah maintained that the unions did not work for the Controller, but for the government, which had decided that their salaries should go through the Controller.
Pre-tertiary teacher unions in Ghana, including GNAT, the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), declared a nationwide strike from Friday, September 25. Their concerns include the failure to automatically place promoted teachers on their correct salary levels, delays in processing salary arrears and adjustments for affected teachers, and the non-implementation of the 20% Deprived Area Allowance.
The unions have also raised concerns over expired conditions of service and collective agreements. The strike is still ongoing, with the unions instructing their members to stay off work until the new salaries and arrears have been paid. Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson have urged the unions to call off the industrial action, committing to resolve issues relating to promotion payments and schedule further negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
Despite the government's commitment, the unions remain adamant and are demanding that their concerns be addressed. The Education Minister has assured that the government will honour the payment of teachers' arrears by October 30. However, the unions are yet to call off the strike. The government has been urged to take immediate action to address the concerns of the teacher unions and prevent further disruptions to the education sector.
The issue has sparked concerns about the impact of the strike on the education sector, with many stakeholders calling for a speedy resolution. The government has been tasked with finding a solution to the impasse and ensuring that the teachers receive their rightful salaries. Key to resolving the issue is the government's willingness to authorise the payment of promoted teachers' salaries and address the concerns of the teacher unions.
Key points
- The GNAT Secretary General, Thomas Tanko Musah, has urged the government to authorise the payment of promoted teachers' salaries.
- The teacher unions have declared a nationwide strike over concerns including the failure to automatically place promoted teachers on their correct salary levels.
- The government has committed to resolving issues relating to promotion payments and scheduling further negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
