NAGRAT Threatens Strike Over Ghc50m Arrears

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), has threatened an industrial action in January 2018, if the government fails to pay the over GHC 50 million outstanding arrears owed its members.

Over the past 11 months, the various teacher unions have been negotiating with the government on the need to settle all its indebtedness to teachers, but the government has failed to honour its promise, after including it in the 2017 budget.

According to NAGRAT, the unpaid allowances have accrued from 2013 to date.

Addressing the media at a press briefing today [Friday],  incoming President of  NAGRAT, Angel Carbonu, called on government to address their concerns without further delays.

“We are owed vehicle maintenance allowance, we are also owed transfer grants, and then we are also owed transport and travel allowances. All these amounts to over 50 million cedis, and there is also salary arrears of those who have been recruited into the Ghana Education Service, and they have taught for months and have not been paid for those months that they have taught. They also owe us allowances and arrears that ought to be paid, and all these we are not getting any clear indication as to government’s determination to pay these monies, so once we have a situation like this, we are affected by government’s ineptitude to address the issues.”

NAGRAT 2016 threat

In 2016, the Association threatened a similar action over the non-payment of salary arrears to 2013 and 2014 batches of newly recruited teachers, teachers on promotion, and others who were reinstated or re-engaged, and also outstanding transfer grants and allowances to deserving teachers.

CETAG strike

NAGRAT’s threat follows a three month strike by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), over the failure of government to pay salary arrears owed them since October 2016.

The strike was later called off following assurances from the government that the arrears would be paid to them by April 2018.

Source: Citifmonline