The Ghana National Association of Teachers, (GNAT) expresses disappointment at the way and manner teachers’ salaries for December 2011 and the three (3) months’ salary arrears were paid to them by the Controller and Accountant General.

It would be recalled that, by an agreement between Organized Labour and Government on October 21, 2011, teachers were to be paid three months salary arrears in addition to their December salaries at the end of December, last year.

It is very regrettable that, this arrangement was unduly delayed by the Controller and Accountant General, leading to most teachers receiving their salaries and arrears after the yuletide.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) wants to state that teachers, like all public servants, are entitled to their salaries at the end of the month. A situation where a section of  public servants were paid on 20^th December, 2011 to enable them at least, celebrate the yuletide with their families and teachers having to wait for their salaries after 31^st December, 2011, cannot be applauded as a good example of compensation management in the public sector.

The reason which has been advanced by the Government for the delay - attributing the situation to the Banks’ failure to credit individual teacher’s accounts, is definitely unacceptable. We know that banks can only pay such monies when the Bank Advice is backed by sufficient funds. Even as at today, a section of teachers have still not received their December, 2011 salaries.

We need to be told clearly and precisely the reason for this delay which is sending unpleasant ripples through the rank and file.

The Controller and Accountant General’s explanation that the delay in paying teachers their arrears stemmed from his outfit’s correction of mistakes which occurred when the two months’ arrears were paid in November, 2011, is not convincing. How do they explain the situation where the arrears have just been released with more errors than those which occurred in the November, 2011 payment?

Some teachers who are not receiving conversion differences but still realized some marginal increases in their salaries with the introduction of the Single Spine system are rather worse off in December as they did not receive any arrears. The names of some teachers were not even captured by Controller and Accountant General for the payment of the salary arrears. What is more, the Controller and Accountant General continued deducting the Professional Allowance instead of crediting their salaries as directed by the Minister for Finance. GNAT believes that, these challenges could have been averted had the usual test- run verification exercise been carried out by stakeholders before the payment of the arrears.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), as the mouth piece of teachers, will resist all attempts to make the Ghanaian Teacher a second rate citizen through the actions and inactions of those in authority. The Association will be closely monitoring the payment of the next arrears of three months which will be due in February, 2012.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is hereby admonishing Government to ensure that such difficulties are not perpetuated on teachers who are sacrificing to produce the human resource required for national development.

Irene Duncan Adanusa (Mrs.)

General Secretary.

6/01/2012

To: All Media Houses

Ministers of Finance, Employment and Education

Controller and Accountant General

Fair Wages and Salaries Commission

Director General, GES

Sec. Gen. T U C,

TEWU

NAGRAT