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Teachers' unions across the nation are growing increasingly frustrated about the government's failure to fulfil their tier-2 pension contributions dating back to April 2023.
The outstanding amounts owed to these unions reportedly reach into millions of Ghana cedis.
Despite deductions being made by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD), sources within the education sector say that these funds have not been transferred to the Ghana Education Service Occupational Pensions Scheme (GISOPS).
The government's decision to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has led to financial repercussions for Organised Labour, with former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta’s decisions causing unions under the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to incur losses in investments, a report by citinewsroom.com has said.
These people were also forced to participate in the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
Teachers, being the largest workforce within organised labour, have had to bear the biggest brunt of these consequences.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) leads with approximately 280,000 unionized members, followed by the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) with 70,000 members, and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-Ghana) with over 15,000 members.
Compounding the tension is the CAGD’s failure to remit teachers' dues that were deducted from their salaries since November 2023, the report added.
Despite ongoing complaints, only a month’s allocation has been released, leaving a three-month backlog.
Sources have expressed concerns that these funds do not only sustain union operations, but they also serve as capital for subsidiaries like the Teachers Fund, which provides financial support to teachers.
Consequently, delays in loan approvals, taking up to three months, have become significant issues for teachers seeking financial assistance.
Analysts have also highlighted the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government’s apparent failure to honour statutory payments, including allocations from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), MPs Common Fund, and GETFUND.
The situation is exacerbated by delays in distributing laptops under the 1 Teacher 1 Laptop policy, intensifying pressure on union leaders and elected executives.
In response to the crisis, Charles Kusi of Legal Alliance has been tasked by the unions to correspond with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education (MOE), urging prompt action to address the delays.
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