Caterers under the School Feeding Programme have declared a nationwide strike following the government’s failure to pay them their arrears and increase the amount per child.
The aggrieved caterers, drawn from various regions across the country who converged in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, stressed that laying down their tools is the only option available to them now.
Speaking at a news conference, the caterers lamented that they are going through harsh economic times as a result of the situation.
The leadership of the caterers has, thus, urged all members across the country to join the strike to impress on the government to address their concerns as early as possible.
One of the leaders of the caterers, Gifty Asamoah, addressing the media said they have exhausted all their funds and are yet to get any feedback from the government on when their arrears will be paid them.
She claimed that despite providing essential services in schools, school-feeding caterers are not given the same level of respect given to other professions.
“School feeding caterers are public servants like teachers, Police, Doctors, nurses and other employees that provide state services but we are being discriminated against. Can government refuse to pay teachers for even one month, why are they doing the opposite when it comes to caterers? A contract is a contract and our human rights must be abused.”
The caterers have also threatened to embark on a nationwide demonstration if their arrears are not paid as early as possible.