You see no president will just put money on the table for workers to plug. If you don’t push you won’t get. We were promised 100% salary increment in 2010 when they were implementing the Single Spine Pay Policy. This single spine was to normalize the the pay relativity ratio between teachers and other workers.
But to our surprise, they started paying security personnels first(police) and by then, a police constable who was earning 70 Ghana cedis jumped to 700 cedis. So we jubilated. Not knowing they did a job evaluation and realized that it will not favour we teachers, because in the classroom is found,1, sup 1, sup2, snr,sup2, snr sup 1, principal, assistant director 1, assistant director 2, deputy director 1, deputy director 2.
Meaning that we have all kinds of levels in rank doing the same job. So they will have to put the figures of all these levels together and strike average to be able to arrive at a figure for the lowest rank in GES and when that was done, our salaries (senior ranks ) reduced instead of going up. So realizing this they had to wanted to delay and make us the last batch.
We didn’t know but our expectations were high coupled with the fact that government had also told everyone that teachers will go to the bank with baskets after the implementation of the Single Spine.
My brother the monies came because we started agitating and it will surprise you that nothing was added and for those in higher ranks, theirs was reduced.
This is where the agitations aggravated with me and other personnels in CCT-GH today left the classrooms and took to the streets inviting all teachers to leave the classroom.
The likes of I, Gordfred, Ernest, Elikem, Aziz, Amudzi, and many others from several regions started linking up during this time of action. Among our activities were strikes, demonstrations and pocketing.
Selflessly we became leaders and after seeking the removal of Gnat executives then turned to government and told them, we won’t return to the classroom until something is done.
They came explaining that our salaries are so because we do not have any allowance and we told them then we will provide for them allowances they should add to our salaries.
After meeting the government machinery, we were told that the’ve heard us but we do not have any power to negotiate with them so we should channel our grievances through Gnat.
After meeting gnat executives and with our proposals they met government and agreed on 15% retention premium for all teachers.
Very disheartening as it was we have to return to the classroom because members after hearing that announcement started going back to school.
After that we channeled our anger onto gnat executives who felt uncomfortable and exited about 41 of us from th union.
This made is form CCT GH you are in today.
You as a classroom teacher can start something against government today.
Or with good leaders you can still erupt like bush fire on leadership to either do something or get them all removed. That’s the only way out but if you sit at the comfort of your classroom, what happens in 2010 might not happen in your time meaning you will only cry forever.
Thank God the people who fought those days are still alive waiting for teachers to employ a heir services to do the job for them.
What are we then waiting for?
We seems too helpless
The time is now.
Put yourselves together and invite us, we are ready to lay down our lives any time any day.
It’s a challenge.
Get prepared and we shall lead and I promise you we will have our reward here on Earth.
The solution to our problems.
It’s tried and tested.
NORBERT GBORGBORTSI