Govt to pay book allowance; Lecturers asked to end strike
The government has finally resolved to pay the book and research allowance of lecturers in the polytechnics and public universities for the 2013/2014 academic year, after almost four months of strikes and labour agitations.
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At a press conference in Accra Tuesday, the government therefore, called on them to go back to the classroom.
However, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Dr Samuel Ofori-Bekoe, said the lecturers would continue the strike because the announcement was not new.
At a crunch meeting with Polytechnic Teachers Association (POTAG ) on Monday and yesterday, which was called at the instance of the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, and other government officials, it was agreed that the book and research allowance which had been the bone of contention between the government on one side and the UTAG and POTAG on the other, was to be paid for the 2013/2014 academic year.
Also in attendance at the meeting were the Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang; her Deputy incharge of Tertiary Education, Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa; the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), Prof. Mahama Duweijah, and Mr James Dugra, National President of Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG).
It was also agreed that the monies should be paid from September up to the end of the fiscal year in October.
The meeting further agreed that the existing exchange rate of 2013 and 2014 should be used in computing the said allowances.
Briefing
Briefing the press after the meeting with POTAG, Mr Idrissu said the government had resolved to "Pay the Book and Research Allowance under the existing arrangement for the 2013/2014 academic year."
POTAG was also to call off its strike immediately, while the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) was to superintend the processes for the payment of the allowance.
Mr Iddrisu said the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) would engage the members of POTAG and the UTAG in negotiations on the Book and Research Allowance in line with the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP).
He announced the decision of the government to substitute the Book and Research allowance with the National Research Fund, and asked the FWSC, UTAG and POTAG to take note of that in their negotiations.
POTAG's view
The National President of POTAG, Mr James Dugrah, in a statement said POTAG would call off the strike after it had re-convened a congress scheduled immediately following a meeting with the government side.
He later told the Daily Graphic that the decision to pay them the allowance showed good faith on the part of a government that had previously been resolute in its stance that it did not owe the teachers book and research allowances.
He said appeals from the Catholic Bishops' Conference, students, parents and the public were part of the considerations for POTAG signing the memorandum of understanding (MOU) detailing agreements reached.
The MOU was signed by the Ministers of Employment and Education, Mr Iddrisu and Naana Opoku Agyemang respectively; the Chief Executive of the FWSC, Mr Smith-Graham, the Executive Secretary of the NCTE, Prof Mahama Duwiejua, and the National President of POTAG, Mr Dugra.
Members of POTAG have been on strike since May 15, 2014 over the non-payment of their book and research allowances since 2013. Their action was followed by UTAG in July, 2014.
Their actions were fuelled by the government’s decision to scrap the book and research allowance and institute a National Research Fund to permanently address the perennial challenges associated with the payment of the allowance.
The two bodies have rejected the government’s decision.