NAGRAT threatens action over unpaid arrears

The leadership of the National Graduate Teachers Association (NAGRAT) has given government up to the end of February this year to settle arrears of teachers under the three months payment policy.

The association says it should not be held responsible if members across the country withdraw their services.

Two years ago, the Ministry of Finance introduced a policy to pay teachers only three months of their accumulated salaries. The teachers rejected the policy and were directed by the Ministry to provide documents to authenticate that they worked for those additional months.

In December 2014, the Finance Ministry agreed to settle the arrears through the Ghana Education Service. Currently, the Controller has paid arrears for January this year and is hoping to settle the rest after receiving approval from the GES.

But the Vice President of NAGRAT, Christian Addae-Poku, has cautioned that Government could face an unpleasant action if it fails to settle all the arrears by the end of this month.

“We hope to see that by the end of February a lot more will receive their arrears. If that happens, then we know that there is a process that is ongoing. But if by the end of February it is not done and we think the situation is still alarming as it use to be, then the union would have to pick it up and rise.”

NAGRAT, however, indicated plans to convene a meeting with the GES to finalise all payments for the teachers.

Unless GES can tell us that the frustration is not from their outfit and rather from the Ministry of Finance. But as at now, the information available to us indicates that the Ministry of Finance gave clearance in December for all the teachers to be paid. So it is for the GES to prepare them for the Controller to pay; yet we want to put the blame at the doorstep of the Ghana Education Service first”.