GNAT directs teachers to register for Ghana card amidst brouhaha
The leadership of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has taken the pain to direct its membership to immediately register for their Ghana Card/ECOWAS Card.
In a wireless SMS notice issued to the teachers, the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Mr. Thomas Tanko Musah has directed the angry teachers to visit the various offices of the National Identification Authority (NIA) to register for the controversial Ghana Card.
The Association’s directive to the teachers followed the entrenched position of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to deny the salary of any Public Sector Worker who will fail to meet their 1st December 2021 “No Ghana Card, No Salary” directive.
Controller to Public Sector Workers In a statement, Mr. Thomas Tanko Musah said, “We wish to admonish all our members who do not have the Ghana Card to register for it. God Bless You.” On 12th October, 2021, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) under the auspices of Mr. Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem said, any Government of Ghana (GoG) worker who fails to register for the Ghana Card or ECOWAS Card with National.
Identification Authority (NIA) before 1st December, 2021 will not be paid salary. According to Controller, this forms part of Govermment of Ghana’s efforts to deliver speedily, secured and verified payroll services to government employees and pensioners while reducing the risk of undeserving payments or claims.
The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) said, they are collaborating with the National Identification Authority (NIA), to have a harmonized database to facilitate biometric and unique identification of all workers on the government payroll hence the need for their directive.
Stop intimidating and harassing Public Sector workers – GNAT to Controller and Accountant-General’s Department This directive came after the National Identification Authority (NIA) in collaboration with Communications and Digitization Ministry have announced the fourteen (14) mandatory uses of Ghana Card or ECOWAS Card.
The directive did not go well with Public Sector Workers especially teachers who form the majority category of government workers across the country. Meanwhile, the Ghana National Association of Teachers among other teacher unions have raised series of concerns regarding the directive from the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
How Controller manages National Payroll System of Public Sector Workers Though the Association earlier opposed the directive from CAGD, adding that, it is unfortunate, preposterous, egregious and intimidating, and that Ghanaian workers would not stand such knee-jerk approaches to solve someone else laissez-faire attitude towards resolving perceived shortcomings and lapses in the system, they have swiftly directed its members to immediately register for the Ghana Card.
Mr. Thomas Tanko Musah reiterated that, though they have directed their members to register for the Ghana Card, he and his leadership will not sit and watch on for Ghanaian teachers to be intimidated and harassed by anyone with any premitive policy.
SOURCE: Coverghana
