"Concerned Teachers" threaten legal action against GNAT

Wa, Dec. 12, GNA - A group of teachers in the Wa Municipality who described themselves as concerned members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), have threatened to take legal action against the Association if it did not stop deducting membership dues from their salaries.

In a letter to the Upper West Regional Director of Education and copied to the Media at Wa, the teachers gave GNAT up to the end of January next year, to stop what they termed "illegal deductions." The letter signed by Mr Khalid Abdul-Rahman, spokesman for the concerned teachers quoted a provision in the Ghana Education Service Act 506 of 1995 to buttress their position.

The relevant provision of the act says: "No contribution shall be deducted from the emolument of an employee of the Service who is a member of these organizations without the consent in writing of the employee concerned and the consent may be withdrawn by the employee after having given the organization six months notice in writing of his intention to withdraw his consent".

The letter said the deductions were a complete violation of the Act and must stop, adding "no member has given his consent in writing authorizing GNAT leadership to do so".

The teachers said the deductions were also in contravention of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, which gave every citizen of Ghana the freedom to join any association of his or her choice. Accountant-General's auto code system, which made deductions from their salaries at source, they complained. 12 Dec. 06