Members of the School Feeding Caterers Association are demanding payment of monies owed them and an increase in feeding fees.
Speaking on behalf of the Association, a member, Maame Araba Ashun, complained that the caterers are suffering to feed the students with a balanced meal due to the hikes in the prices of food.
In 2022, caterers proposed raising the feeding fee to 3 cedis per pupil, up from 97 pesewas.
But according to Maame Araba, the government has neglected their proposal.
She indicated that the current 97 pesewas is not enough, hence the need to increase it to 3 cedis to ease the burden on them.
According to her, the caterers are yet to be paid two terms’ equivalent to six months’ salary as well, making it uneasy for them to survive.
“We are already in tougher times, because for two good terms we have not been paid. It is something that is serious; it cannot be stopped, and we don’t understand why, in a time like this where the prices of commodities have tightened up, people’s kids are going to school, everything is on a high note, and we have cooked for two terms. We’re entering the third term, and we have not been paid,” she lamented on Prime Morning.
She added that students are expected to be fed a balanced meal, but the government is failing to pay to aid in the preparation of the meals.
She went on to say that all employees at the offices that are supposed to negotiate on their behalf have been paid, excluding them. This, according to her, is not understandable.
When asked whether they had reached out to authorities, she said, “Yes, we have been sending messages across, but up until now, nobody has come to respond to us.”
Since the opening of schools this year, caterers are yet to start cooking in the various schools as there is no food stuff.
The caterers have, therefore, threatened to stop working if they are not paid their arrears.