Members of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) have begun a nationwide strike today, Wednesday, January 5, 2022, over the government’s failure to pay their development allowance.
According to the over 20,000 strong TEWU, the government’s failure to pay the Continuous Development Professional (CPD) allowance to non-teaching staff is a major setback for them.
Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, January 4, 2022, general secretary of TEWU Mark Dankyira Korankye said several attempts to resolve to get the government to address the issue has proved futile.
“A formal complaint has been lodged with the National Labour Commission with the hope that the management of GES and other stakeholders will play their roles to resolve the problem with the payment of this CPD allowance for the non-teaching staff, to avoid any action that will disturb the industrial harmony in our educational institutions, especially in our second cycle institutions,” it said.
“At the last National Executive Council meeting held in December 2021, it was resolved among others, that if by the close of the year 2021, the CPD allowance is not been paid to the non-teaching staff of the Ghana Education Service, then as schools re-open for the last phase of the second semester of 2020/2021 academic year, our members will withdraw our services to push home our demand for the payment of this CPD allowance.”
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The TWEU statement added “We therefore wish to inform the Government and its agencies, Parents and the Ghanaian Public that as schools reopen tomorrow, 5th January 2022, they should not expect any of the non-teaching staff to be at post. These would include, but not limited to the Domestic Bursars, Matrons, Cooks, Pantry Hands, Labourers, Cleaners, Administrators, Accountants, Librarians, Logistics and Supply Officers, Internal Auditors, etc.”
Below is the address delivered by Mr Korankye on Tuesday, containing details of the strike action.
It is an honour to address this news conference on some disturbing developments in the education sector, which could lead to holding our students to ransom, if these matters are not immediately addressed, could eventually cause a disruption of the academic calendar and affect the conducive environment for teaching and learning.
The leadership of TEWU, would like to state that we are not in normal times, giving the effect of Covid-19 on all aspect of national life including Education. So, the least our cherished members expect, is for Government and its agencies to live up to their responsibilities and avoid acts that will disturb the industrial harmony and peace, which workers (our members) have tried to maintain in the face of the meagre increase in salaries coupled with increases in the prices of goods and services in the country.
With just days into the New Year 2022, we would have loved to be sharing with the Ghanaians populace, our New Year message outlining what we intend doing to improve teaching and learning environment for Ghanaian pupils and students. But that is not to be as the leadership cannot afford to look on as our members are discriminated against in terms of welfare packages as well as the challenging situation in our schools.
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES MUST WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT STOP THE NAKED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST TEWU AND PAY MEMBERS THEIR CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, (CPD) ALLOWANCE
The leadership and members of the Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union, TEWU of TUC-Ghana, wish to register our utmost disappointment about how government and its related agencies, do not pay prompt attention to the welfare needs and other concerns of the non-teaching staff of the Ghana Education service (GES). The leadership of TEWU, are disheartened at the naked discrimination against the non-teaching staff, when welfare packages are initiated for the education sector aimed at improving teaching and learning.
Mr. Chairman, currently, TEWU members have been sidelined in the payment of the Continuous Professional Development, (CPD) allowance, whereas our teaching counterpart have received two tranches already, since the package was announced by government in 2020.
The Minister for Education in 2020 announced the approval of Continuous Professional Development, (CPD) allowance to both teaching and non-teaching staff of the (GES); ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED GHANA CEDIS (GHS1,200.00) FOR TEACHERS, and SIX HUNDRED GHANA CEDIS (GHC600) FOR THE NON-TEACHING STAFF. What is the crime of the non-teaching staff that, since the announcement of the payment of the CPD allowance, the leadership of TEWU has been following up to ensure that our members benefit from it? All our efforts have not yielded any results. In making the payment of this allowance, Professional Teachers were paid GHS1,200.00 and non-Professional Teachers were paid GHS800.00. Thus leaving the non-teaching staff completely out.
To make matters worse, in March last year, the President, in the State of the Nation’s Address (SONA), presented to Parliament, announced that he has paid CPD allowance to both Teaching and Non-Teaching staff of the Ghana Education Service. This announcement by the President of the land caused a lot of agitation among our members. If payment of this allowance has been made, why is it that non-teaching staff have not received any? Could it be that our Union leaders are not pushing hard enough for this to be paid to our members or someone has collected the money and has not paid to the right people? Our members would not take any more explanations.
As we continue to dialogue and have the allowance for 2020 paid, in November 2021, again, Teachers were paid at the exclusion of the non-teaching staff.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, TEWU leadership, need not remind our education authorities that, both the non-teaching and teaching staff, play complementary roles in creating the environment that will promote quality teaching and learning.
A formal complaint has been lodged with the National Labour Commission with the hope that the management of GES and other stakeholders will play their roles to resolve the problem with the payment of this CPD allowance for the non-teaching staff, to avoid any action that will disturb the industrial harmony in our educational institutions, especially in our second cycle institutions.
At the last National Executive Council meeting held in December 2021, it was resolved among others, that if by the close of the year 2021, the CPD allowance is not been paid to the non-teaching staff of the Ghana Education Service, then as schools re-open for the last phase of the second semester of 2020/2021 academic year, our members will withdraw our services to push home our demand for the payment of this CPD allowance.
We therefore wish to inform the Government and its agencies, Parents and the Ghanaian Public that as schools reopen tomorrow, 5th January 2022, they should not expect any of the non-teaching staff to be at post. These would include, but not limited to the Domestic Bursars, Matrons, Cooks, Pantry Hands, Labourers, Cleaners, Administrators, Accountants, Librarians, Logistics and Supply Officers, Internal Auditors, etc.
To be for-warned is to be for-armed.
Thank you
Issued on behalf of TEWU National leadership.
JANUARY, 2022