TEWU sets deadline for Fair Wages negotiations on allowances

The leadership of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union of TUC (GH) has resolved that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission should be given up to August 7, 2023, to complete the negotiation for the payment of the allowance by November 2023.

The resolution was made at a meeting held by the TEWU of TUC (GH) Management Committee on July 26, 2023.

A communique issued in Accra and signed Mr. Mark Dankyira Korankye, the General Secretary of TEWU, “if the Commission fails to complete the negotiation by the said date, leadership of the Union should not be blamed for any action that may be taken by aggrieved members.”

It said the delays in the negotiation for payment of Continuous Professional and Skills Development Allowance to Non-Teaching Staff of the Ghana Education Service by the Commission had compelled the Union to come out with this communique on the matter.

The statement said after several efforts by the Union to get the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education to facilitate the payment of the allowance failed, the Union had no option than to declare a strike on January 5, 2022, to back their demonstration and for the allowance to be paid.

The Union was immediately invited to the table to resolve the matter and the leadership, as responsible as they were, suspended the strike to pave way for further negotiation for the issue to be resolved.

It said the leadership of the Union was disappointed at the way the Commission was handling the negotiation on the payment of Continuous Professional and Skills Development Allowance.

The Union said their teaching counterparts in the Ghana Education Service were paid as far back as November 2020 after the Minister of Education had announced some months earlier that the allowance had been approved by government for both teaching and non-teaching staff of the Ghana Education Service.

The Union took the matter up with the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education for the non-teaching staff to be paid their part of the allowance.

The Communique said the Ghana Education Service set up a Technical Committee to deal with the matter and submit a report.

The Committee submitted its report on January 26, 2022, to the Service, where the Union was invited by the Commission to the negotiation table, and it was unfortunate this allowance matter has not been resolved after eighteen months.

“The Commission have made the negotiation on the allowance so difficult that leadership of the TEWU of TUC (GH) is compelled to believe that it is a deliberate machination to delay payment of the allowance to the non-teaching staff of Ghana Education Service,” it added.
It said the action of the Commission was causing disaffection of members against the Union leaders.