Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson met with the leadership of three unions in Ghana's tertiary education sector on Tuesday, June 10, to discuss the disbursement of the Book and Research Allowance. 

The meeting, which was prompted by a request from the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), and the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), aimed to address concerns over the payment of the allowance.

Dr Forson assured the union leaders that the allowance had been fully captured in the 2025 Budget and that he had initiated the necessary processes to ensure its release.

He also commended the unions for their constructive proposal to establish a dedicated Labour Relations Desk within the Ministry of Finance, which would strengthen coordination and enhance dialogue between the ministry and labour stakeholders.

During the meeting, Dr Forson updated the union leaders on ongoing payroll reforms, particularly the audit being conducted by the Auditor-General.

The Minister added that preliminary findings indicate a significant presence of ghost names on the payroll, which, if addressed, could yield substantial savings for the public purse. 

Dr Forson urged the union leaders to lend their support to this important national exercise, emphasising that cleaning the payroll was not only about fiscal prudence but also about restoring integrity and fairness in public sector compensation.