We will pay POTAG but don’t know when - Ablakwa

Polytechnic lecturers have once again threatened to call a strike action if government refuses to pay their August salary.

This comes barely a month after the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) called off its three-month long strike over unpaid Book and Research Allowance.

According to the lecturers, they will advise themselves if government refuses to pay them their August salary.

Before an agreement was reached for the lecturers to call off their strike, there were rumours that government had ordered Controller and Accountant General to freeze the August salary of the lecturers.

Government and the Ministry of Education denied giving out such orders. But on Thursday’s edition of Kokrokoo, Deputy Minister in charge of tertiary education, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa confirmed that indeed government decided to freeze the August salary of the striking lecturers.

He said after reaching an agreement with POTAG, government rescinded its decision and gave orders again to Controller and Accountant General to release POTAG’s August salary.

“We have spoken to controller general hitherto August Salary, which had been frozen because we have been able to reach an amicable resolution of this matter, leading to the calling off of the strike, we have taken the decision that they will receive their August Salary…

Government came under a lot of pressure from civil societies, students, etc. that as a country it is not right that we keep using the tax payers money to be paying workers who are on strike…for the month of May, June, July salaries were received and August also the strike was on and so any responsible government will take interest in this development. If it is your private company and your workers are not reporting, you are not going to be paying them…but as these matters have been resolved, I can assure everybody that they will receive their August salary."

Answering to why the salary has delayed, he said “according to the Controller and Accountants General Department, it takes some time before the salaries are processed and so they (POTAG) should be rest assured that they will receive it even if they suffer some delays. For now, we do not know the specific date but sooner than later, they will receive their salary; latest by next week,” he added.