Mark Korankye
THE TEACHERS and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has appealed to government and its agencies to exercise what they called ‘openness and honesty’ in their dealings with them so as to foster trust.
The group made this appeal in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mark Dankyira Korankye, in which they asked government to “appreciate” the havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and not do anything against the interest of workers’ unions.
“Workers need to be saluted because when it matters most, they always sacrifice to save the bigger situation. It is in this regard that, we call on government to be proactive by exhibiting frankness, openness and trust, in negotiating outstanding issues with labour unions to forestall turbulence on the labour front, in order not to further worsen the situation created by COVID-19,” the group stated.
TEWU lamented the suspension of most negotiations for conditions of service for public sector workers as occasioned by the pandemic, and pleaded that pending negotiations in this “new normal era of COVID-19” should not give government and its agencies the impetus to try take workers for granted.”
Reviewed Service
The group also accused the Ghana Education Service (GES) of failing to implement provisions in the reviewed conditions of service for its staff saying, “further foot dragging will provoke workers.
“TEWU will like to state emphatically that it is unhappy with the way some GES Directors want to use rough tactics, by holding unto the old conditions of service, with the excuse that they do not have the signed hard copy of the reviewed document, though the soft copy of the document is available.”
Development Allowance
The group also expressed discontent over how the professional development allowance announced last year by the former Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and re-stated by President Akufo-Addo during the State of the Nation’s Address earlier this year, was yet to be paid to non-teaching staff even though their colleagues in the teaching class have been paid since November last year.
They said the intentional or unintentional sidelining of issues concerning non-teaching staff is unhealthy for the education sector.
They expressed the hope that an audience with the new Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum would resolve the issue once and for all, so that TEWU members could also benefit from the professional development allowance as announced by government.
The group further called for priority to be given to persons working for the GES on temporary basis over a long period of time during the ongoing recruitment exercise so they can be absorbed into the system.
By Nii Adjei Mensahfio