The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has directed the release of salaries for 902 out of 1,310 teachers which were blocked last week.
The decision to withhold the salaries of these teachers, according to the OSP, was taken after identifying some infractions and subsequently commencing investigations into the matter.
However, this action was met with fierce criticisms from the leadership of various teacher unions, including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers.
During a press conference held on February 14, the leadership of these unions expressed their outrage against the actions of the OSP, labeling them as “lawless” and demanded for the immediate release of the withheld salaries.
The President of NAGRAT, Angel Carbonu questioned the authority of the OSP to block the salaries.
“The misbehavior of the OSP may have to stop now, the principal of workman compensation should never be violated. If the OSP wants to deal with ghost names, he must refer the matter to the Ghana education service,” Mr Carbonu said.
Similarly, the President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, King Ali Awudu expressed surprise about the auditing procedure of the OSP.
“For unions, we can do a lot of stuff, we are asking that the over 400 teachers should have their monies released to them. Mind you, Controller has paid the money, the money has hit the account. It is the OSP who has blocked their salaries,” King Ali Awudu stated.
The General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah Tanko, also gave the OSP 72 hours to get the rest of the salaries paid.
“If OSP has any problem, the OSP should go to the Director-General who is the employee and the CEO of the Agency. So, the OSP jumping all the protocols, that is unfortunate and this thing must not be tolerated,” he warned.
