The main three teachers unions on media briefing made it know to its members and the general public that the Ghana Education service occupational pension scheme (GESOPS) has been in debt which the threatened controller and accountant general department to do the right thing by paying them their money else CAGD should have themselves to be blamed.
Below are the outlined reasons why the teacher unions will not be able to restrain their members from Friday, 26th 2021.
1.Ghana Education service occupational pension scheme was established and defined as a pension scheme that is work-based under the national pension scheme Act 2008, Act 766 with amendment Act 833.
2.It was established under a trust which provides the benefits in form of a lump sum of money to the pre-tertiary teachers and educational workers on termination of service, death, or retirement or in respect of the person under section 95(a) of the Act.
3.Section 63(5) of the Act states ( where employer deduct contributions salary of a worker (like that of Ghana Education service occupational pension scheme), our insertion the contribution shall behold by the employer in trust until remitted to the trustee of the occupational pension scheme)
4.Section 64(1)of the Act charges that if contributions are not paid within a specified period, “a sum equal to three per centum of the month of contributions payable shall be added to the contribution payable as a penalty.”
5.Section 96(2) of the Act states that the contribution shall be remitted by the employer within fourteen days from the end of each month.
6.Checks by teacher unions ( GNAT, NAGRAT, CCT-GH ) reveals that for the past four months the infringe benefits for teachers have been denied as the controller and accountant general department (CAGD) has not remitted the money due them.
7.Teacher unions wrote to the Hon.Ag Minister of finance and a copy to the Hon. Ag. Minister of education, the chief director ministry of education, the controller and accountant general, and the director-general of Ghana education service and sounding a warning that if deduct monies were not paid to Ghana education service occupational pension scheme account by close of Monday.
8.As of Tuesday 16th February 2021, not only has CAGD ignore the concerns of teachers but also treated them with contempt and the deducted have still not hit the accounts.
Hence the decision of teacher unions to threaten the industrial action by Friday 26th, 2021 if the money is not in