School Feeding Program Caterers Call Off Strike After Successful Negotiations With Government
The nationwide strike by caterers of the School Feeding program has ended after negotiations with the government resulted in an agreement.
As a result of inflation and requests for better working conditions, Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) caterers around the country were forced to go on strike.
The National President of the GSFP, Mrs. Charlotte Ashiakie Asante, apologised for the inconvenience the strike had caused and promised that things would get back to normal as soon as possible.
“We still stand by our earlier demand that the government would facilitate the necessary processes to still increase the amount from the proposed GH¢1.20 to GH¢3, considering the prevailing cost of items on the market,” she said.
Mrs. Ashiakle encouraged caterers to avoid spreading false news and asked that the gender ministry works with them to address any shortcomings in the program.
“The National Executive would like to strongly admonish all caterers to henceforth desist from spreading falsehood and using the media for wrong purposes or as a tool to denigrate the program, instead of using dialogue and the acceptable rules of engagement,” she added.
Mrs. Asante also reminded the cafeteria staff to do a good job now that classes had started again.
School Feeding Caterers’ Debts
According to a 3News report, some members of the School Feeding Caterers Association’s inability to pay off enormous debts has seen most of them experience various health complications
Speaking with Aduanaba Kofi Asante on the Ghana Akoma evening political show on Akoma 87.9FM in Kumasi under the condition of anonymity, one of the executives of the School Feeding Caterers Association in Ashanti revealed that the government has been owing them money since the previous academic year.
“The children are being fed GH¢1 and a tax of 3 percent so we are left with GHp97 per child which is not enough and we have complained severally but nothing has been done about it. Now schools have reopened and we have to feed the children with that same amount.
“We have so many arrears and when payments are in, we are underpaid which is really bad. Most of the women are dying because of the debts they owe since you cannot go and buy something on credit again. You go in for a loan and you have to plead,” the executive member lamented.
She continued: “Let’s assume the price of rice is GH¢600. The person is going to give it to you at GH¢900 because you are buying on credit. When the government promises to pay when school reopen, they don’t pay then you are seen as a liar. So when you mention school feeding on anything you want to buy on credit you will not get it.”
