Hmmm, patriotism in this country seems to be at its lowest ebb, all of us as sons and daughters of this country do not have any more love for the nation called Ghana. I have stated it on so many occasions in this column that if all of us offer a little love and patriotism for this nation, this nation will not just be good for those of us alive today but a better healthier environment for the generations behind us. Other nations think more of the unborn generations than those alive today. Truth be told, we are more selfish and inward looking as citizens of this country than the generations before us.
I am very saddened by the current situation of nationwide strike by our teachers throughout the country, when my investigations into the matter offered me serious insights into the matter. In the first place, when did it all begin and where will it end. I am further saddened by the fact that in modern times, the state will recruit teachers, offer them appointment letters, post them to various schools throughout the country and not pay them for months or years.
Indeed, it is also alleged by some teachers that even those who were paid received three months salary irrespective of the number of months the teachers had served following their appointments. Hitherto, the problem had been that it took so many months or years to pay teachers after school and posted to the various schools throughout the country.
That in itself was terrible and symptomatic of institutional failures on the part of the state. In this era of computerization, the Ghana Education Service (GES) must be in a position to know how many trained teachers in any given year would pass out and be posted into our various schools. On that basis, the ministry is informed and the accompanying emoluments thereby taken account in the budget of the Education Ministry.
If this cannot be done in this time and era and it has to take months or years to pay teachers who may be posted far away from their homes and relations who ordinarily would support them, then the state has no justification or defence as far as the plight of our teachers are concerned. What is worse is the fact that salaries of teachers which are recurrent expenditure would accumulate to become legacy debt?
I am also appalled by the posture of the various teachers’ unions – who sat down without even going to court to challenge this awful situation – where workers are formally recruited to work and when it gets to payment, no matter how long it takes, the employer decides how many months of work done would be paid, in spite of the appointment date and the number of months the employee had worked. This is against international labour rules and regulations anywhere in the world.
Strangely enough, the teachers’ unions did not protest these shabby and illegal actions on the part of the state to their members. Some of them have worked for the state and underpaid for no justifiable reason. Others were also not paid at all leaving behind what has come to be known as Legacy Debt, surprisingly only in the case of teachers.
This does not in any way prevent the teachers’ unions to make demands on the state where they feel cheated. However, the figures coming out as regards those whose salaries have not been paid over the periods under review, the current government has accepted the challenge of state indebtedness to our teachers and has made very major efforts at paying them. I gather that as the payments are verified and approved; payments are made by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
And as it has always been with such verifications, when certain information about unpaid staff, raise eye brows, it is normal that those are withheld for further investigations before actions are taken. Why the teachers’ unions would use the unpaid 648 teachers out of over a hundred thousand previously unpaid teachers, some of whom happen to be female security employees of GES, which are abnormal, pupil teachers whose salaries are classified in the ranks of Superintendent of Ghana Education Service who cannot be paid by the state without any further checks, as a basis for the strike – is not understandable.
In any case a meeting was scheduled for December 2, 2019, to iron out the differences, the teachers’ unions declared a nationwide strike action on December 5, 2019, three days after the first meeting. I have never liked politicians who accuse their political opponents for instigating industrial unrest each time the ruling government has problem with workers, particularly those on public payroll.
I was angry when Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister in charge of Education blamed the NDC for the strike actions by the teachers’ unions. Information available to me now seems to vindicate the position of the minister. Now, on the November 28,2019, the NDC wrote a letter addressed to the General Secretary of Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), inviting him or her to a meeting on the December 11, 2019 with the leadership of the NDC, at an undisclosed venue for some discussions.
The letter stated in part ‘The National Democratic Congress (NDC) brings you fraternal greetings and best wishes. The Leadership of the party, led by H. E. John D. Mahama would like to seek audience with you on very topical and important happenings in our country.
‘Our agenda for the meeting is to hold stakeholder consultations and discuss developmental issues that are of mutual importance relating to nation building.’ The time was set at 1pm, and the date was December 11, 2019. This letter was signed by Kwadwo Adu Asare, as Deputy Director, Special Duties.
Whatever agenda the NDC had to discuss with the GNAT leadership, the leadership of the teachers’ unions, namely the GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT refused to honour a meeting scheduled with the Minister for Labour and Employment which was scheduled at 10am on Tuesday, December 10and then with the Labour Commission on the same day at 2pm. The three bodies did not attend the various meetings.
As to whether the meetings with the NDC are taking place as I write this piece, I am not in a position to say. It is worthy of note for the people of Ghana to know that one of the leaders of one of the teachers’ union was a parliamentary aspirant for the NDC in the recently organized primaries. He contested with John Dzormelo for the Ayawaso East Wuogon. It is therefore not surprising that the Minister for Education pointed at the NDC for being behind the strike.
However, a government in power has the responsibility to manage such labour conflicts irrespective of the source and who the instigators might be. Government officials should leave such politically injurious statements to party serial callers or communicators to make. Government officials should remain focused in their efforts at negotiating and to ensure a speedy resolution of whatever grievances the striking workers have.
We need to get the teachers back to the classrooms for the sake of our children and the total completion of the academic calendar. There is the need for sober minds on the part of the teachers and government officials to bring the issue to amicable conclusion. Our teachers must show a little more patriotism for the growth of our country. This is a plea from a jobless man with no fixed address.
Daavi, some two tots.
Kb2014gh@gmail.com
By Kwesi Biney