Tension brews in K-Poly POTAG

By: Issah Alhassan, Kumasi
IT IS becoming increasingly clear that the bad blood that has existed between members of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) and the Fair Wages and Salary Commission (FWSC) over the former's migration onto the Single Spine Pay Policy is showing no sign of a respite.

Information available to The Chronicle indicates that barring any swift intervention from the government or the FWSC, members of the Kumasi Polytechnic POTAG and elsewhere in the country would, once again, lay down their tools in protest against delays by the Commission to migrate its members onto the single spine salary structure.

The members of the association contend that they do not understand why the government and,  for that matter,  the FWSC was dillydallying with the promise to migrate them onto the new pay policy, in spite of the fact that all the necessary factors needed to implement the decision had been put in place.

The K-Poly POTAG noted that though provisions like the Grading Structure and Market Premium, as well as the mapping by the polytechnics with the FWSC had been completed several weeks ago, the commission was refusing to migrate its members onto the new salary scheme.

In a statement issued and signed by its chapter chairman, Edmund Oppong-Peprah, the association cautioned that it cannot be held responsible should its members resort to any action, including embarking on a sit down strike in demand for their migration.

The association pointed out that it does not understand why the FWSC was requesting for bio-data of its members as a new prerequisite for migration, stressing that the action by the Commission amounted to discrimination and deliberate attempts to deny POTAG their due benefit.

The association contends that its information indicates that all other institutions captured on the SSSS were never asked to produce bio-data as a pre-condition, citing the case of Polytechnic Administrators Association of Ghana (PAAG), which was not requested by the FWSC to present bio-data before being migrated.

'POTAG, Kumasi, takes great exception to this directive, and calls on the FWSC, as a matter of urgency, importance and alacrity, to take steps to pay the single spine salary,' the statement cautioned.

The lecturers have, therefore, warned that members of the association would be compelled to take the necessary action, with strike as the major option, if the government and the FWSC fail to honour their side of the bargain by the end of this month.

They further cautioned that they would not accept the old salary on the defunct Universal Salary Structure.

'Tensions are quite high on our campus; POTAG-Kumasi urges the Fair Wages and Salary Commission, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and the Controller and Accountant General's Department to do everything possible to ensure that POTAG is migrated and paid its single spine salary by the end of May, 2012.'