Teacher Unions Call Off Strike, Demand Immediate Reopening Of Negotiations

• Pre-tertiary teacher unions have called off their strike, demanding better working conditions
• This comes after the National Labour Commission sought a court injunction against the strike action
• The unions have called for negotiations to begin immediately to address their concerns

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) have called off their strike.

The pre-tertiary teachers’ unions began their industrial action on Wednesday, March 20, over the government’s failure to address their poor conditions of service.

The teachers cited the Office of the Special Prosecutor's blockage of their salaries and the lack of an appropriate Scheme of Service and a Collective Agreement, among others, as the reasons for their strike.

However, their strike action was condemned by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the National Labour Commission (NLC), who stated that the teachers’ withdrawal from the negotiation table was detrimental to addressing their concerns.

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The NLC further sought a court injunction against their industrial action, which led to the unions calling off their strike.

The President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana, King Ali Awudu, has urged the Education Ministry to swiftly address their concerns to avoid repeating their strike action.

He also urged teachers nationwide to return to the classroom as the groups’ leaders return to the negotiating table with the government.

He demanded that the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations re-open negotiations on April 2 to ensure that negotiations are expedited and their concerns addressed timeously.

Government delays payment of mutual fund arrears

While the strike action had been relatively short-lived, the Concerned Teachers Association of Ghana in Kumasi had noted that thanks to the strike, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission had finally started taking some action towards addressing their concerns.

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The teachers had been demanding the payment of their 6-month outstanding arrears of mutual funds.

The group complained that the government has disregarded their welfare and has continuously delayed the release of mutual funds.

Godfred McThetheh Ansah, the group’s chairman, told YEN.com.gh that following the strike, the FWSC had no other option than to listen to them after ignoring them several times.

Students desert classrooms following strike

YEN.com.gh had earlier reported that following a similar strike action declared in 2022 in protest of the President’s choice for the new Ghana Education Service Director, Dr Eric Nkansah, students were left stranded in classrooms across the country.

The situation brought academic activity to a standstill in public schools across the country

Source: YEN.com.gh