The Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU) on Wednesday threatened to advise itself if the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) remained adamant in resuming negotiations with it.
It said the negotiations for the payment of the 15 per cent Retention Premium to the 11 remaining Classes of its members should resume.
Mr. Mohammed Seidu Bogobiri, General Secretary of TEWU, addressing a press conference in Accra indicated that, tension was mounting within its members and that, the delay had created disaffection among the affected staff.
TEWU Executives laid bare their concerns and frustrations regarding what they considered the uncooperative attitude of the FWSC.
Mr. Bogobiri said the situation prompted the Management Committee of TEWU at a meeting on June 20, to resolve that “if by the close of work on Friday, July 13, negotiations for payments of the said amount had not resumed, TEWU members in the Ghana Education Service (GES) would advise themselves.”
He explained that the FWSC and TEWU, since May 2011, had agreed that 11 out of the 22 Classes of the non-teaching staff of GES, who were members of the Union should be paid the 15 per cent Retention Premium while negotiation on the remaining 11 Classes continued.
Mr. Bogobiri said the remaining 11 Classes included administrative, supply and management, secretarial, security and public relations units of the GES.
“However, since then, the FWSC has woefully failed to meet TEWU to conclude negotiations in respect of the 11 remaining Classes,” he said.
Mr. Bogobiri said TEWU had to call off an intended industrial action following interventions of the National Labour Commission on September 28, 2011, to compel the FWSC to resume negotiation on the payment to the 11 remaining Classes.
He explained that upon request of the FWSC, TEWU was charged to submit justification for the payment, of which the Union complied on April 5, 2012.
Mr. Bogobiri said TEWU had disputed the assertion that some Classes of staff did not deserve the said amount, arguing that, the group constituted the fulcrum upon which the success of teaching and other administrative activities evolved within the GES.
He said the Union was currently frustrated by the persistent silence of the FWSC after TEWU’s follow-up reminder on May 7, 2012, had failed to yield any response and hoped the press conference would serve as an add-on to the earlier reminder to the Commission.**
