CETAG's Indefinite Strike Action Bites As Academic, Administrative Activities Halt
- The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) indefinite strike has ground colleges of education to a halt
- Administrative and academic activities at all 46 colleges of education have been halted due to the strike
- Students have urged lecturers to return to class as the strike threatens to disrupt the academic calendar
The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana’s (CETAG) indefinite strike action is biting hard as colleges of education across the country have come to a standstill.
CETAG defied the directives of the Fair Wages and Salary Commission (FWSC) to call off its strike and resume work.
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The FWSC had labelled the strike as an act of bad faith, considering the government’s efforts to engage them on their grievances and reach an amicable solution.
It had directed CETAG to call off its strike, but the group objected.
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It stated that their strike was lawful and intended for the government to address their concerns timeously.
It noted that the strike would not stop until the government settled their demands.
Following the strike, academic and administrative activities at all 46 colleges of education in the country have been halted.
There are concerns that the strike may disrupt the academic calendar and affect students' completion dates, among other issues.
Following the declaration of strike, students left stranded on campus pleaded with their lecturers to return to the classroom.
They said their absence from the classroom has been taking a toll on their education.
CETAG gives reasons for indefinite strike
CETAG’s strike follows the government's failure to address the resolution of CETAG’s service conditions after the association had given it a May 31 deadline to implement the National Labour Commission's (NLC) arbitral award orders and negotiated service conditions.
CETAG is demanding that the government compensate each member with one month's salary for additional duties performed in 2022 and other issues about their working conditions. CETAG has also accused the NLC of mistreating them in the ongoing impasse.
In a letter to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), CETAG said the NLC has failed to compel the government to comply with the arbitral award orders and negotiated service conditions despite the association calling off its strike after the commission asked it to do so in August 2023.
CETAG also accused the FWSC and Education Ministry of intentionally refusing to pay a top-up research allowance as arrears from the 2023 conditions of service agreement to deserving association members.
This is despite the agreement being signed by the FWSC with approval from the Finance Ministry in July 2023, scheduled to elapse on December 31, 2024.
CETAG says it will not resume work till its demands have been met.
Teacher unions forced to call off strike
YEN.com.gh reported that 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, among other reasons, the Office of the Special Prosecutor's blockage of their salaries and the lack of an appropriate Scheme of Service and a Collective Agreement for their strike.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
