Speed up Negotiations On Conditions of Service of Members - TEWU Urges Government

The Teachers and Educational Workers' Union, (TEWU) has appealed to government and other stakeholders, to make good their promises in concluding negotiations on conditions of service for TEWU member institutions.

The TEWU institution members include universities and polytechnics, the Ghana Education Service, the Colleges of Education, the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, the Ghana LibraryAuthority, Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, Ghana Institute of Languages, GIL, Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), private schools such as Lincoln Community International School, German-Swiss and Ghana International School.

A statement issued in Accra yesterday and signed by Mr Augustine Saakuur Karbo, TEWU General Secretary also stated that, the payment of critical support for some staff of the Ghana Education Service and issues relating to the proper placement of the teaching and non-teaching staff of the Colleges of Education, to reflect the new degree awarding status of such institutions, as well as the re-composition of the Governing Councils for the Colleges of Education deserve prompt attention.

"We really want to serve notice to the government, GES, Ministry of Educationand other stakeholders that, we have dialogued, consulted and engaged enough and also petitioned the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the critical support for some staff of the Ghana Education, yet we are not hearing anything positive.

We hope these issues will be resolved soonest, because we will not take any explanation or excuses for inaction regarding these outstanding concerns," the statement said.

It said "There is no doubt that last year 2018, both teaching and non-teaching staff, in the national interest went the extra mile in ensuring the successful implementation of government's Double Track policy under the free Senior High School system.

Looking at the Double Track and its associated workload, TEWU will not be asking too much by urging government to pay our members for the extra work they are doing for the double track and by extension the free SHS system to work efficiently for the training of quality human resource for the country."

TEWU according to the statement appreciates government's employment opportunities in the Ghana Education Service adding that "We call for the process to be fast-tack for employment of non-teaching staff into the public universities, Technical Universities/Polytechnics, Colleges of Education because of high numbers of vacancies, due to retirement, resignation and death.

Filling such vacancies is very urgent so that the Institutions can have their full staff strength for both academic and non-academic work. The idea of getting clearance from the Ministry of Finance is good, but, there should be an innovative way to overcoming the delays around the clearance for employment. "

On the investment of the Tier-Two pension funds it said "We will work diligently under the laws of the Pensions Regulatory Authority Act, to ensure pension funds are safe.

This we will do by getting all these lingering issues addressed so that the funds administrator which is the main custodian of the funds will work towards accurate and credible data base of contributors.

That will help in calculating the benefits for each member and the associated profit or dividend that will yield out of the investments."

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