Delay in paying salary arrears worrying — GNAT

Emmanuel Bonney Education Aug - 22 - 2014 , 09:52

The National Council of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has deplored what it describes as the long delay in the completion of auditing of the payment of three months salary arrears for teachers.

“The auditing of the payment of not more than three (3) months salary arrears is taking too long to complete. Payment was expected to begin by the end of June 2014 after completed forms had been forwarded by Regional Education Directors to the Ghana Education Service (GES) Headquarters before the end of May, 2014”, it said.

This was contained in a communique signed by the acting General Secretary of GNAT, Mr M.V.V.K Demanya, at the association’s national council meeting held from August 11-15, 2014 at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

Incremental credits

On the issue of incremental credits for 2011 and 2012, the GNAT council members expressed disappointment at the way the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) was tackling the issue and asked that all such payments be effected by government without delay.

According to the communique, council members regretted that though GNAT had sent records covering teachers who qualified for such payments to the Ministry of Finance through the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) many months ago, no action had been taken on the issue.

It further urged the Ghana Education Service (GES) to speedily provide data on teachers who had been transferred, as part of the teachers rationalisation exercise, to the teacher unions and also take steps to effect payment of entitlements due the teachers who were involved.

Second Tier pension

The council also called for the speedy operationalisation of the Second Tier Occupational Pension Scheme, since some workers were due for retirement next year under the new pension scheme.

Meanwhile, the National Council has elected Mr Alexander Mawusi Buadi, who used to be the National Vice President, as the Acting National President of GNAT. He replaces Mr Paul Agyei Boakye who was made to step aside as a result of personal challenges which made it impossible for him to continue discharging his duties as National President of the association.