Kumasi, June 23, GNA - Teachers within the Kumasi Metropolis have vowed to stop at nothing but continue with their agitation until they achieve their goal of getting the Teachers Pension Ordinance (CAP 30) restored to them.
They claim that said since the CAP 30 pension ordinance is a right and not a privilege, teachers will explore all avenues including dialogue and demonstrations to benefit from the facility.
This was contained in a resolution addressed to President J.A. Kufuor by teachers of the Kumasi metropolis and presented to the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr S. K. Boafo, in Kumasi on Wednesday after they had embarked on a peaceful demonstration to back their demands.
Mr Ernest Yaw Kwarteng, Regional Co-ordinating Director received the resolution on behalf of the Regional Minister who was not available. A copy of the resolution was also delivered to the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive.
The teachers numbering about 4,000 started their march from the Jackson's Park through the principal streets of Kumasi to the KMA offices and later converged at the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) where they presented the resolution addressed to the President.
Clad in red attire, the teachers carried placards some of which read, "SSNIT pension scheme is bogus, Cap 30 is our right not a privilege", "What is good for the forces is equally good for teachers", "Mr President you are our last hope", "SSNIT pension is like HIV/AIDS". The resolution appealed to President Kufuor to personally intervene and use his good offices to restore the CAP 30 to teachers to enable them also to adequately benefit from their labour during their retirement.
Presenting the resolution at the RCC, Mr Emmanuel Omenako Danquah, the Kumasi Metropolitan GNAT Chairman, explained that their decision to demonstrate stemmed from the fact that there had been no positive response from the several petitions and memoranda they had submitted to various authorities in respect of the CAP 30.
He reiterated teachers' opposition to the SSNIT pension scheme, saying: "It is a scheme that is demoting teachers because of the great disparity between it and the CAP 30".
Mr Johnson Adu, Metro GNAT Secretary, gave the assurance that teachers would be back to the classrooms to teach as from tomorrow while still pursuing various means to achieve their mission of restoration of the CAP 30.