NAGRAT issues March 31 ultimatum over salary arrears

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has given the government up to the end of March to pay the salary arrears and allowances owed its members since 2013.

The Association added that it will take a strong decision in protest if the government fails to meet the deadline.

NAGRAT in a communiqué expressed disappointment that the government had not fulfilled its promise to pay the areas which has been outstanding for about 4 years.

“At the end of March, when the issues are not addressed positively, we as a union will advise ourselves. The industrial environment wouldn’t be peaceful,” the President of NAGRAT, Angel Carbonu said in an interview on Citi FM.

At an earlier press conference on the matter, Angel Carbonu said, “We are owed vehicle maintenance allowances, we are also owed transfer grants, and then we are also owed transport and travel allowances. All these amount to over 50 million cedis. And there are 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.”

In the three-point communiqué it issued, the teacher union also kicked against a directive by Ghana Education Service extending instructional hours in the classroom.

Mr. Carbonu charged members of the Association to boycott the directive if they deem it unhelpful.

NAGRAT has drawn the attention of successive governments to arrears  owed its members, estimated to be about GH¢ 50 million in total.

In January 2018, it put on hold a planned industrial action when the incumbent government paid part of the arrears.

Credit: Citifmonline.com