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General News of Tuesday, 7 November 2017

Source: 3news.com

‘Give us our money and we’ll resume work’ – Teachers to government

The teachers say they are unhappy about how government is handling their conditions of service The teachers say they are unhappy about how government is handling their conditions of service

Teachers of colleges of education have insisted they will not return to the classrooms until government pays them their nine-month salary arrears and show commitment to resolve all outstanding issues.

They have disregarded a call from a member of the Ghana Labour Commission to resume work, stating the call was unofficial and would rather prefer the Commission compels government to do the right thing by resolving their issues. “It is the money we are waiting for.

As soon as it comes, we will return to the classrooms,” Zonal chairman of the College of Education Tutors Association of Ghana (CETAG) in charge of Western and Central regions, Ebenezer Appah Bonney, told Takoradi-based Connect FM.

The teachers have since November 2, 2017 been on strike to push government to address their concerns regarding their market premium, salary arrears and allowances which have remained unresolved for some time now.

Speaking to Henry Eluide Yankey on Connect FM’s Asem Yi Dzi Ka, Mr Bonney explained they declined to have a meeting with Deputy Finance Minister, Ms. Abena Osei, on Monday because there was not official invitation to them. He said they demanded for official invitation because they want to have records of all events surrounding the issue.

He said the said official invitation is yet to be issued to them for the said meeting. “[The] deputy of finance called us on Friday evening to have a meeting with us today [Monday] but we told her we are in the academia so we need official letter to attend such meeting but we are yet to have the letter,” he said.

The teachers who are from all the 38 government colleges of education across the country say they are not happy about how the government is treating their issues which has to do with ‘unfavourable’ condition of service.

Reiterating the basis of the strike, Mr Bonney said government has not been fair with them because it has denied them their right as professional teachers. He described as “unfair,” the treatment from authorities “just because tutors of colleges of education have been too gentle all these while”.