School feeding caterers from across the 16 regions of the country, under the various Metropolitan, Municipality and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have emphasised their position never to go back to the various schools to cook for the pupils, until their conditions of service improve and their arrears paid by the government.
Madam Gifty Asamoah, Convener of the group, at a news conference organised by the aggrieved caterers in Kumasi, noted that until all payments due them are made through the School Feeding Secretariat and the Ministry of Finance, they will maintain their stance.
She said no amount of threat from the MMDCEs would send them back to the kitchen, unless their condition of service improves and all arrears paid.
According to her, the government and the School Feeding Secretariat are hiding behind the MMDCEs to threaten them with job losses if they do not rescind their decision to call off the strike.
Madam Asamoah explained that government owes them arrears from 2017 to date and that, like other professionals such as Teachers, Nurses, Police and Civil Servants in the country, the government cannot not deny them salary for a single month, let alone starve the caterers for a number of months without pay.
She stressed that they are workers like other Public Servants and deserve to be paid.
According to her, the caterers live in disgrace because they owe their creditors
huge sums of money.
She stressed that, all the caterers are members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and would not want the party to go to opposition for refusing to address their grievances.
The Convener stressed that the caterers, as members of the NPP cannot campaign vigorously for the same New Patriotic Party that is starving them of what is due them, and cautioned the party to forget about breaking the eight (8), if the government would not address their concerns.
According to her, caterers cannot be made a laughing stock, impoverished and very miserable and seen as beggars.
