The issue of car maintenance, hospital, night, overtime as well as travel and transport allowances which are termed as “category two and three stipends” should be addressed by government as matter of importance.

This would be a great incentive for the non-teaching staff of second cycle educational level to perform dedicatedly for the expected results despite the additional management and administrative challenges brought about by the Free Senior High Policy implementation and the resultant double-track system.

Mr Matthew Abeaba Abereniya, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Industrial Relations Officer (IRO) of TEWU made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday in Sunyani.

He said before additional staff would be employed by government, “the existing staff should be compensated because the new system is automatically going to increase their volume of work”.

According to Mr Abereniya, government had already assured the institutional Heads and Directors of the payment of the necessary allowances, so “what about those subordinate staff assisting them”, he quizzed.

He stated that drivers, accountants, administrators, cooks, cleaners, security personnel and labourers who were indispensably playing key roles in the management of the Schools to make the system to work effectively also needed to be rewarded accordingly.

Mr Abereniya reiterated the call of TEWU on government “as a matter of urgency to address the issue of fare wages such as the critical support premium to inspire the non-teaching staff to give out their best in supporting the system”.

The IRO emphasised that the “premium was though on paper, majority of the members of the Union were not benefiting”.