GNAT Offered 11.5% salary increase

Accra, Sept. 27, GNA - Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, said on Tuesday that the Government had offered 11.5 per cent salary increase to teachers instead of the 10 per cent previously agreed by Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Government.

He said GNAT was also offered four months special allowance instead of two months earlier agreed on.

Mr Adda told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the decision was conveyed to GNAT Executives and it was now left for them to go and decide whether they accepted the new offer.

He said it was a better offer and he expected to meet the GNAT Executive on Tuesday to come out with a concrete agreement on the issue. Mrs Irene Duncan-Adanusa, General Secretary of GNAT, told a press conference that after protracted negotiations with the CMB it finally reached an agreement on a 10 per cent upward adjustment across board for levels three to 22 to take effect from March 2005.

Another special allowance of 25 billion cedis per month to cushion the effect of any shock or shortfall on the employees was also offered and that was to be paid from September 2005 to December 2005, in addition to an upward review of reimbursed allowances, she said.

However, she said, the 10 per cent increase which was slated to be paid from March 2005 was shifted to June 2005, while the 25 billion cedis to be paid for four months, from September to December was moved to November to December.