President of the NABCO trainees Association of Ghana (NABTAG), Dennis Opoku Katakyie, has confirmed government’s release of one out of the ten months’ arrears owed the NABCO trainees.

According to him, nine months arrears from December 2021 through to August 2022 are still outstanding.

“NABCO trainees are hereby informed that stipends payment for November 2021, as one month’s settlement of the ten months arrears, has been processed. In actuality, nine months, counting from December 2021 through to August 2022, are still outstanding.”
NABTAG

Contained in a statement, the NABCO President revealed that one month’s payment is only “a speck of the total amount” owed trainees. That notwithstanding, he expressed gratitude to the government, Secretariat and other stakeholders for taking a step in ameliorating the “unfortunate situation” in which trainees find themselves.

“However, we are imploring government, particularly the Ministry of Finance, to affix trainees’ outstanding arrears into its subsequent allocations to enable the Secretariat to effect payment for the remaining months.”
NABTAG

NABTAG cautioned that it will employ every plausible approach to ensure that trainees are fully paid their stipends for the remaining months. It explained that it would resort to “iconic institutions” such as NABTAG headquarters, Ministry of Finance and Parliament House to demand its arrears if members do not receive the rest of their monies within the shortest possible time.

“If after a considerable period of time, arrears for the remaining months are not fully paid, the leadership will recruit another draconian measure to forcibly ensure that we are paid. We have done it before, so we can do it again.”
NABTAG

NABCO trainees’ foiled protest

It will be recalled that the Ghana Police Service on September 20, 2022, stopped a planned picketing at the Jubilee House by beneficiaries of the Nation Builders Corp (NABCO). This was disclosed by the leadership of the group.

Despite protesting at the Black Star Square to impress upon government to clear the 10-month arrears owed them, trainees are yet to receive any positive feedback on when their allowances would be paid.

President of the NABCO beneficiaries, Dennis Opoku Okatakyie, revealed that the leadership met with the Greater Accra Regional Police Command to discuss the picketing at the Jubilee House. However, he explained that the Police stated that picketing at the Jubilee House is not possible because the area is a security zone. As such, for some security measures, the Police did not allow the NABCO trainees to picket, but rather encouraged them to go back to Independence Square, to which they declined.

The group served a fresh notice of picketing at the Jubilee House, given the government’s failure to pay them allowances due them. In a statement, it expressed worry that protests it has held in the past have yielded no results.

The statement noted that after exhausting all possible avenues, including the recently held picketing followed by the time window given to government convince them to getting NABCO members arrears paid, the same issue lingers. The NABCO trainees highlighted that it is clear that their welfare is not of concern to the government.