The Association said it continues to receive complaints from teachers that they were being compelled to fill a “weaver of T and T” form to go on transfer, while they had not made any request to be transferred.

The situation GNAT viewed as a blatant violation of the collective agreement and the regulations governing transfers, adding that “transfers must be done with all humility and fairness”.

[contextly_sidebar id=”NMrMMZhnKQVT3ynjrnoLDv4ZuGuvbrxG”]Consequently, GNAT has sounded a word of caution to the GES to desist from such practices because it could amount to huge judgment debt.

Mr William Abedi Boadu, Central Regional Secretary of GNAT, who expressed these sentiments in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, advised that in the expected transfers, GES should ensure that funds are secured to pay the legitimate entitlements of the affected teachers to bring about a smooth exercise.

He said while the employer had the right to deploy employees to where their services were most needed, employees’ right to claim their legitimate entitlements should not be stifled.

“Ambiguous statements like ‘T and T’ to be borne by the teacher and re-imbursed as and when funds are available as stated in most of the transfer letters are not acceptable. The rights thing must be done. Directors must respect the regulations governing transfers,” he said.

Mr. Boadu said GNAT had received summon letters from lawyers of affected teachers, stating that the transfers of their clients were not done in good faith, describing the trend as “worrying”.

He said the concerns raised by GNAT followed previous failure by the GES to pay teachers legitimate entitlements.

He advised teachers to take advantage of the system opportunities to empower themselves to be able to fight for their rights.

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Source: GNA

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A statement dated May 23, 2017 signed by Comptroller-General of the Immigration Service, Kwame Asuah Takyi said the re-assignments take immediate effect.

Asuah Takyi was named by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the boss of the Immigration Service on March 14, 2017.

Mr. Takyi, whose appointments took effect on 1st March, was prior to his nomination the acting Deputy Director in charge of Legal affairs.

Below is the list of officers transferred:

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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Scuffles had broken out at the entrance to the center where Li Fei, deputy secretary general of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, was speaking.

Pro-democracy activists inside the building heckled Li, shouting slogans and interrupting his speech explaining Beijing’s decision, announced on Sunday, to rule out a fully democratic election for the city’s next leader in 2017.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with wide-ranging autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland – a policy called “one country, two systems”.

The activists want universal suffrage, but Communist Party rulers in Beijing say any candidate for the territory’s chief executive has to be approved by a nominating panel – likely to be stacked with pro-Beijing loyalists.

Activists from a movement called Occupy Central have threatened to blockade Hong Kong’s financial district unless Beijing grants full democracy, setting the stage for disruptive protests in coming weeks.

“Occupy Central is an illegal activity. If we give in, it will trigger more illegal activities,” Li said.

Dressed in black and wearing yellow ribbons, members of the democratic camp were escorted out of the auditorium after they shouted and held up signs reading “shameful” and saying Beijing had lost credibility.

Pro-establishment people in the crowd clapped as the democrats were led out.

Alex Chow, the head of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, was escorted out jeering and heckling. Student activists said they would begin boycotting classes in mid-September and that students at 11 schools had confirmed their participation.

About 100 activists had gathered for Li’s speech, some waving British colonial flags and banners with an “X” over the Chinese characters for “communism” amid a heavy police presence.

A group of Beijing loyalists stood nearby waving China’s flag.

The NPC Standing Committee on Sunday endorsed a framework to let only two or three candidates run in Hong Kong’s 2017 leadership vote. All candidates must first obtain majority backing from the nominating committee.

TAIWAN EXPRESSES REGRET

Li said that if Hong Kong lawmakers failed to approve Beijing’s decision, as is needed by law, the city’s next leader will be chosen by a small election committee.

China’s decision makes it almost impossible for opposition democrats to get on the ballot and prompted the Occupy Central camp to renew its vow to bring the financial hub to a halt.

Political reform has been a major source of tension in Hong Kong, with China party leaders fearful of calls for democracy spreading to other cities.

The Mainland Affairs Council in self-ruled Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province, expressed “regret” at the NPC’s decision while activist groups posted messages of support for the democracy movement online.

“This decision by the NPC to limit the type and number of candidates for Hong Kong’s election is a major setback for the progress of Hong Kong’s democracy, and we expressregret at this decision,” the opposition Democratic Progressive Party said in a statement.

“This decision represents a smothering of the Hong Kong people’s demand for truly representative government and casts a shadow over the progress of Hong Kong’s democratization.”

Following the publication by Beijing of a white paper outlining China’s authority over Hong Kong in June, democracy activists held an unofficial referendum on voting in the “special administrative region”, and hundreds of thousands marched to the city’s business district and staged a sit-in.

Li’s briefing was organized by the Hong Kong government and China’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong. The vice chairman of the Standing Committee’s Legislative Affairs Commission, Zhang Rongshun, and the Deputy Director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Feng Wei, were also due to speak in a series of briefings throughout the day.

Student activists said they would gather outside the Hong Kong chief executive’s office in the afternoon.

Charles Rivkin, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, said in Singapore the United States backed “free and fair elections and transparency”.

“We believe, in the case of Hong Kong, in one country and two systems,” he said.

Britain made no mention of democracy for Hong Kong until the dying days of about 150 years of colonial rule.

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Source: Reuters

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