UCC retirees threaten demo against Vice Chancellor

The 2019 and 2020 Retirees Association of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in the Central Region have threatened to stage a demonstration in the coming days against the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong and the management of the university over what they describe as undue deduction from their end of their service benefits.

The retirees in a resolution issued on 29th July 2019 said when they were about exiting UCC from active service, the pro-vice chancellor announced to a gathering of the retirees that there’s a proposal from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to deduct tax from their end of service benefit.

This proposal did not go well with the retirees but the pro-vice chancellor and the unions agreed to sit with GRA to see to the waiving of the tax.

However, the retirees went home without their end of service benefit.

In order to resolve this, a decision was taken at meeting of all Vice-Chancellors that 10% should be deducted from the benefits and 90% paid to the retirees.

However, the management of the University have issued a letter indicating that 17%, 25%  and 35% would be deducted from the benefits of junior staff, senior staff and the senior members respectively.

Addressing the press at Cape Coast, the group secretary, Mr. Peter Aubyn said they want management of UCC to reverse any form of deduction taken from their end of service benefit in the form of taxes to reduce the financial burden on some retirees.

“We the 2019 and 2020 retirees demand strongly that our monies deducted as tax should be paid back to us without delay, and therefore we give University of Cape Coast management two weeks to respond to our demands urgently, failure of which may push us to stage demonstration against the Vice Chancellor,” he said.

Some retirees who spoke to Darling FM’s reporter, Nyansapow Timothy expressed their displeasure against the management of UCC.

“We do not understand why after serving our nation actively for various number of years as active and consistent payers, we should pay another tax at the end of our service when we are terminally leaving active service…we are in pain appealing to the Ministry of Education and President of the nation to call the management of cape coast university to order,” Mr Aubyn said.