Bolgatanga (U/E), May 16, GNA - The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) have called on government not to renege on its promise to pay all allowances and incentive packages due to teachers before the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS). This was contained in a statement signed by Madam Irene Ducan-Adanusa, General Secretary on GNAT and read by Mr. Linus Attey, Upper East Regional Secretary of GNAT when he addressed teachers at a meeting organized by the local Union in Bolgatanga on Friday.

It said the teachers were demanding the payment of professional allowance of 15 per cent of monthly gross salary to all certified teachers at post, payment of special allowance of 10 per cent of monthly gross salary to teachers who studied Information and Communication Technology, Technical, Vocational and Mathematics and who were teaching the subjects. The statement said an incentive of 20 per cent of monthly gross salary should be paid to teachers working in underserved communities and financial support be provided for teachers who were on distant learning programmes in the universities.

It said promotion interviews should be organised for the backlog of teachers who were due for promotion but have not had the opportunity to be interviewed.

It said a collective agreement was reached and signed by the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, the Minister of Education and the General Secretary of GNAT on behalf of teacher unions and also signed by the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) on 31st December 2009.

It noted that it was agreed by both parties that government would implement the collective agreement before the implementation of the SSSS and wondered why government did implemented it after the Labour Commission had advised it to do so.

The statement therefore called on government to expedite action to implement the collective agreements before the implementation of the SSSS to avoid any disturbances.

It said teachers would no longer allow their conditions of service to be used as propaganda tool on platforms of partisan politics. "Teachers' patience have been tested for far too long," it said. 16 May 10