The Central Regional branch of the National Association of Graduate Teachers, NAGRAT, has expressed outrage over government’s decision not to pay two years arrears due members who have been promoted.
Over 11,000 teachers have been served promotion letters, but government has decided not to pay them their arrears dating back to September 1, 2015.
Speaking to Citi News on Wednesday, the peeved Central Regional Chairman of NAGRAT, Bright Bedzra, indicated that “for years now, these things have started; you have gained promotion and they (the Ghana Education Service) will state that only notionally and substantively.”
“We feel strongly and we shall keep feeling strongly that this is cheating on the teacher. Promotion is a requisite, and it’s a legitimate right every employer in the GES must go through. And the law is that, once you go through, you are promoted, dated the day you are promoted. Why this notional thing? I think government is just buying time to take part of our money, and it’s not coming to us, and we need to bite very well on this.”
Teachers across the country have been complaining about the decision after receiving their promotion letters early May, a copy of which has been seen by Citi News.
The letter, among other information, reads: “This promotion takes effect from 1st September 2015, but you will be placed on your current rank effective 1st April, 2017”.
This arrangement by government is what has angered the teachers, and they are incensed at their union leaders who are said to have been party to the decision by government.
However, Mr. Bright Bedzrah has indicated that, regional, district and local NAGRAT leaders “are yet to receive full briefing” on the situation.
He reminded teachers that “we are a labour union; we will speak for them and whatever will come out of that, they (teachers) will hear.”
He has thus appealed to the teachers affected to exercise restraint.
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By: Joseph Ackon-Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana