It’s normal for salaries to delay at Legon – UTAG

The President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) Dr Harry Agbanu has said that it is common practice for their salaries to be delayed.

His comment follows the announcement by the University of Ghana that the salaries of staff will be delayed. This has raised some concerns in the general public.

However, in an interview with Accra-based Starr FM, Dr Agbanu said they have been assured that their salaries will be paid by the end of the week.

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“Mostly, our salaries delay for a week or two. Information from the Registrar General indicates that our salaries will hit our accounts by close of the week. Because we were informed earlier about the delay, many made arrangements towards it. For about a year now, we are mostly paid on the 24th of every month but things have delayed this time round. Borrowing monies to pay salaries is not sustainable and the government must do something about that,” he said.

The University of Ghana told its staff in a memo that it will be unable to pay the salary of workers in March after it borrowed to pay for January and February.

“Processing and release of the compensation subvention for January and February have been delayed. Therefore, payment for March 2018 salaries cannot be made as scheduled. It is not possible to borrow for a third month to pay salaries,” the memo signed by the Registrar of the University of Ghana, Mercy Haizel-Ashia said.

This has led to some suggesting that the lecturers and other staff of the university be put on the government payroll.

However, Dr Agbanu said that they are against the suggestions that they should be put on the government payroll.

“Even though we are public sector workers, we are significantly different. We are public sector workers as University Teachers, paying us through the Controller will not help us in any way. If we are with Accountant General, the government will have to release money to have us paid. We’ve been advocating over the years that whenever there is going to be a delay in our salaries, we should be told earlier. We are happy we were informed earlier.”