The leadership of the three teacher unions in Ghana, Ghana National Association of Teacher (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) have debunked accusations that they have each received 200,000 cedis as bribe from government to delay the payment of salaries of the Coalition of Unpaid Teachers.
The leadership has therefore warned the Coalition of Unpaid Teachers who is peddling the false information to desist from spreading such falsehood.
The confusion at the teacher’s front stems from the nonpayment of salaries of some teachers for over 2 years. Some of the unpaid teachers say they have had to resort taking loans and borrowing from friends and family for survival.
They accused the leadership of the three teacher unions of not doing much to help them because they (unpaid teachers) do not belong to any of the associations adding that the unions had received GHC 200,000 each to delay their payment.
The group has membership strength of 3,600.
The group has therefore decided to ignore the support of the teacher unions, insiting to and picket at the Finance Ministry to demand their salaries.
But these teachers, according to the Ghana National Association of Teachers were posted without financial clearance from the Finance Ministry and had worked for three years without being paid.
GNAT says, it has forwarded their names to the Finance Ministry for the clearance but stated, any further accusations by the group would affect the process of payment.
The General Secretary of GNAT, David Ofori Acheampong indicated that “first of all we want them to understand that we are doing this on humanitarian grounds because presently they are not members of any of us…. because you become a member when you pay dues. They have not been able to pay dues mainly because they have not been paid.”
GNAT again asked government to sanction some staff of the GES for recruiting teachers without financial clearance indicating that “in spite of the fact that GES did not follow due procedure, we cannot punish our teachers unduly.
“The Deputy Finance Minister assured that they would consider it and make sure that they give financial clearance to those people.”
So far, over 29,000 names have been validated out of which 13,000 has been approved for payments while 16,000 names have been queried.
However, the 13,000 names which have been approved will receive their salaries at the end of June this year.
By tv3network.com|Ghana
Twitter: @NewsyMartin