TEWU demands payment of Tier 2 pension arrears

The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) has demanded payment of their Tier Two pension arrears with accumulated interests by the end of this month.

The union said that if by the close of April, the government failed to heed their demand, they would advise themselves. It said the non-payment and remittances of their pension over six months were not right, since the money was meant to be invested on their behalf.

‘We are asking the government, as a matter of urgency, to release all arrears and attendant interests,” the General Secretary of TEWU, Mark Dankyira Korankye, said, adding that “we would join hands with other public sector unions and do what unions know what to do”.

Conference 

Mr Korankye made the demand at the 13th quadrennial national delegates conference of TEWU held at the Pentecost Convention Centre at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region.

It was on the theme: “Fostering partnership for equitable education delivery in Ghana — The role of TEWU”. Mr Korankye, whose tenure comes to an end at the end of the conference, said if their money did not go to the fund managers to invest to make a profit, their pension would be jeopardised.

He said pensions were already low in the country, and so if the little investment that would enhance the life of pensioners were denied them “then they would hear from us”.

Dangers of Firewood

Mr Korankye expressed concern about the use of firewood by cooks in some senior high schools, saying it posed a danger to their health. He, therefore, entreated the government to address the situation to ensure the safety of cooks in the schools.

Mr Korankye also said non-teaching staff played significant roles in ensuring effective teaching and learning in schools and urged the government to recruit more staff to support the schools.

Solidarity message

In a solidarity message, the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress, Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, said the union would join other public sector workers to embark on a strike from May 2, next month, if the government failed to settle the pension arrears by the end of this month.

He said they gave notice to the government in November last year on the second tier. Dr Baah commended the leadership of TEWU and other sister unions across the country for the invaluable services they were providing in educational institutions.

The National Chairman of TEWU, Ambrose Yao Kwadzodza, who chaired the event, added his voice to the appeals to the government over the payment of the Tier Two pension.