Caterers under the School Feeding Programme have declared a nationwide strike following government’s inability to pay them their arrears and increase the amount per child.
According to the angry caterers drawn from various regions across the country who converged at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, they have laid down their tools to force government to address their grievances.
They believe the strike is the best option to get solutions to their problems.
Speaking at a news conference, the caterers complaint about how they find it very difficult to resolve their issues as a result of the harsh economic times.
The caterers pointed out that they have exhausted all their funds and are yet to get any feedback from the government on when their arrears will be paid to them.
The leadership of the caterers has thus urged all members across the country to join the strike to impress on the government to address their concerns as early as possible.
One of the leaders of the caterers, Gifty Asamoah claimed that despite providing essential services in schools, school-feeding caterers are not given the same level of respect given to other professions.
“School feeding caterers are public servants like teachers, Police, Doctors, nurses and other employees that provide state services but we are being discriminated against. Can government refuse to pay teachers for even one month, why are they doing the opposite when it comes to caterers? A contract is a contract and our human rights must not be abused.”
The caterers have also threatened to embark on a nationwide demonstration if their arrears are not paid as early as possible.
By Vincent Kubi