UG ordered to pay Ex-gratia to 194 retirees

An Industrial and Labour Court has ordered the University of Ghana to pay ex-gratia based on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) to its 194 retirees.

According to the court the retirees are entitled to the SSSS except those who have worked for less than 10 years.

The Court presided over by Mrs Lawrenda Owusu, also awarded GHC10,000 cost against the University.

The case of the retirees was that they had worked with the various faculties and departments in various capacities.

According to them per the provision in their condition of service, employees who had served more than 10 years in the University shall be paid their ex-gratia award of one month salary for every successful year.

They contended that employees of UG were migrated onto SSSS Policy in January 2010 but the commencement of the policy at UG took effect from September 2011.

Plaintiffs (Retirees) said the UG authorities deemed it fit and paid their salary arrears and explained that they would be given higher salary effective January 2010. However the payment of those salaries delayed.

Hence plaintiffs said those salary arrears were paid after they had retired from active service.

The 2010-2011 retirees of Ghana’s premier university therefore demanded payment of arrears of their ex-gratia after the SSSS was implemented.

They retired when the University was working on the implementation of the SSSS, which was subsequently executed in September 2011.

According to the retirees all other public universities except UG have paid their employees the differences on the ex-gratia based on the SSSS and were given their due arrears.