The President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana-Cape Coast Branch- Dr. Eric Wilmont is accusing the Deputy Education Minister of playing petty propaganda with their salary arrears. The branch announced a sit-down strike Monday in protest over unpaid salary arrears and blamed the deputy minister for it. According to Eric Wilmont, Mahama Ayariga had given the assurance that the arrears had hit the accounts of the teachers on Friday knowing too well the money was not ready. It was only after the teachers had announced the strike that efforts were made to pay some of the teacher- even that, he has still not gotten his arrears, Wilmont lamented. “The deputy Minister of education is bragging. From what we hear, he went to get money into that account after we had declared the strike. If the cheque gets to us we will call it off. As at now there is no money in my account so nobody can convince me that the cheque is even a good cheque,” he told Joy News’ Elvis Adjetey. Asked if he was disputing the claims by the deputy minister that the cheques were ready, the president stated: “I thought he was a joker. I only laughed because he knew he was misrepresenting the information and went ahead and was still doing that.” He said they had been told on Friday there was no money in the account a reason why they announced the strike on Monday. They started putting money in that account yesterday after our action. He explained, they in their right senses, will not announce the strike when their money was ready in their account. In a reaction Mahama Ayariga called for an amicable solution to the problem. He was surprised the lecturers were still on strike, saying there is confirmation that the money has been paid. He would not engage in verbal altercations with the lecturers on air.