The various working unions were formed and leaders elected/appointed to be the mouth piece for their members when it comes to salary negotiations and working conditions.
The military have achieved this within a short period of time for their members and there’s an evidence to show. I had the opportunity to see the salary of a Security Man(S.H.S leaver) at the Audit Service and he told me the kind of allowances they receive quarterly, I was so shocked that I couldn’t make any movement. Aside their quarterly allowances, their salary is more than a Degree Holder in GES. This shows the effectiveness of their leadership.
However, this can’t be said about teacher unions. It’s as if teacher unions doesn’t exist and teachers are left to their fate.
Consider the following and see if we really have leaders;
- The Collective Agreement (CA) was signed by the union leaders and the government but 99% of it’s content is not working.
- Deprived Area Allowance stipulated in the CA is not working. Salary Advances stipulated in the CA is still in the darkness.
- Promotions in the service (both Junior and Senior Promotions) are in limbo. Promotions in other sectors, i.e. Military, Immigration, Nursing etc are very flexible and most of them take just two years for subsequent ones. It’s four to five years in GES with a lot of controversies and procedures.
- Responsibility Allowance on some ranks is less than GH₵50 and being taxed as well because it’s embedded in the Basic Salary. Allowances should be separated from the Basic Salary so that it’ll not be taxed. This is different in only GES.
- Three years now after the introduction of the new curriculum, a single textbook has not been provided by the government. Teachers have to research on the net for information to go and teach. Meanwhile, no allowance is provided with the expensive data being charged in Ghana. Can you believe that a huge sum of money was used to purchased Free S.H.S T-shirts at the expense of the Basic material, textbooks for Basic Schools?
All these and many more are happening under the direct watch of our union leaders but they’re doing less/nothing to resolve these challenges.
Union Leaders will go to the negotiation table and the government will deceive them to accept 4% salary increment with the excuse of the economy. They’ll turn round and increase their salaries over 70% within the same economy. What at all was the proposal of our union leaders?.
Article 71 holders are taking fatty salaries with a lot of juicy allowances. Meanwhile, teachers take home-pay can’t even take them home on the day of salary payment.
How can one survive on GH₵ 1,500 under this economy? Some teachers pay an average transportation of GH₵400 to their work places and also an average rent of GH₵350 monthly. Electricity and water bills take not less than GH₵200.
Mr President and Secretary ( GNAT, NAGRAT, CCT etc), what will be left to buy food, clothes and take care of our children?, not to talk of putting up a shelter!
Teachers deserve a take home salary, teachers deserve Transportation, Deprived Area, Clothes, Research, Risk(chalk particles) and Better Responsibility Allowances.
We urgently need these to survive through this economy in order to have sound mind to deliver our lessons… IT’S NOW!…
