The Acting General Secretary of the Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU), Mark Korankye says though the government took a bold initiative to get as many children into the Senior High School under the double track system, the arrangement has over-burdened TEWU members.
The Acting General-Secretary of TEWU,Brother Mark Korankye
He observed that “our members are overworking themselves and yet these efforts are not being appreciated”.
Brother Korankye who made the observation at the 8th Quadrennial Regional Delegates Conference of the Union held in Wa pointed out that whilst members of TEWU serve in both tracks, teachers are attached to only a particular track.
He said: “The over-working is putting a lot of stress on our health, our members equally need some rest. Our members serve in both tracks, green track and gold track. I am sure very soon, red track will also come, and then the black track will come, so we have all the Ghana flag colours, whereas our colleague teachers, you have dedicated teachers for the green track, we have dedicated teachers for the golden track. And so when the green tracks are off season, the green track teachers are resting, when the yellow track are off school, their teachers are resting but the non-teaching staff have no rest. From the beginning of this academic year, we have had no rest, because when the green track is vacating today, tomorrow, the yellow track is coming, and we have to be around to receive them.”
Brother Korankye was also not happy about the practice where some directors and heads of institutions are using some documents purported to be coming from the Public Services Commission to reduce leave days of TEWU members without recourse to the Conditions of Service. we all know annual leave is a condition of service item, which is negotiated and signed by the tripartite.
“We will therefore not accept any document in place of a negotiated conditions of service,” he emphasized.
Brother Korankye however, entreated members of TEWU to exercise maximum restraint and continue to give leadership the needed support for their grievances to be addressed.
The National Chairman of TEWU, Brother Peter Kwaku Lumor addressing the conference
The National Chairman of TEWU, Peter Kwaku Lumor said the Union has gotten to a point where “we have to take our destiny into our hands.”
He was unhappy about the pick-and-choose attitude of employers in connection with signed un-negotiated documents backed by backed by the Labour Act and cited GES an example.
Mr. Lumor indicated that it is unfortunate that: Ghana Education Service management when the condition is signed, is only interested in the portions that contain sanctions but the ones that contain allowances and what have you, the Ghana Education Service has excuses.
The Upper West Regional Director of Education, Duncan Nsoh
The Upper West Regional Director of Education, Duncan Nsoh assured the conference that all their legitimate concerns will be looked at and announced that all teachers and workers in education will be off-loaded to the District Assemblies as part of the decentralization process.
The U/W Regional Chairman of TEWU, Francis Kokoih
The Upper West Regional Chairman of TEWU, Francis Kokoih warned government and its agencies to stop playing games with workers affairs adding that, the general welfare of workers has become governments lunchtime topics, instead of primetime issues.
The Upper West Regional Secretary of TUC, George K. Mude advised TEWU to push for professional development opportunities for non-teachers to help them upgrade and learn new skills, to enrich their contribution to the educational experiences of they provide students.
Delegates
The thrust of the Conference was 60 years of TEWUs Contribution to the Development of Equitable, Inclusive and Quality Education Delivery in Ghana.
