Education Ministry Suspends July 2024 Salaries Of Striking CETAG Members

• The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission wants CETAG members' July salaries withheld by the Controller and Accountant General
• The salary suspension followed CETAG members' refusal to return to work amid an ongoing strike over service conditions
• While CETAG teaching staff will have their salaries suspended as a result of the directive, college principals are exempt from this

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission has directed the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to suspend the July 2024 salaries for members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG).

The suspension follows a directive from the Minister of Education, which was in reaction to CETAG members' refusal to return to work during an ongoing strike.

The Ministry of Education has described the ongoing strike as illegal and has urged the CETAG members to return to work.

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While CETAG teaching staff will have their salaries suspended as a result of the directive, college principals are exempted.

Why CETAG is on strike

The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike following the government's failure to address the resolution of their service conditions.

The association had given 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 pertaining to 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 had 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.

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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 and scheduled to expire on December 31, 2024.

CETAG said it would not resume work until its demands have been met.

CETAG’s strike bites

YEN.com.gh reported that following CETAG’s nationwide strike, academic and administrative activities at all 46 colleges of education in the country have been halted.

There are concerns that the strike may continue to 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, which is said to have affected their education.

Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh