The industrial action by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has entered its 7th week, as members have refused to return to the classrooms in blatant disregard of GTEC’s directive and the subsequent freezing of their July salaries.
The teachers laid down their tools in protest of their poor conditions of service and the government’s failure to implement the arbitral awards given by the National Labor Commission (NLC).
After weeks of negotiations, CETAG says it has reached an agreement with their employers; however, the government has failed to sign the agreement, making the documents null and void.
CETAG President Prince Obeng-Himang says until the agreement is signed, their industrial action continues unabated.
“The objective for embarking on the strike has not been met so it will be a fruitless fight for us to say that we are calling off the strike because our July salaries have not been paid. On Wednesday, we met with the Minister for Education and other key stakeholders and there were a lot of proposals on the table in an attempt to find a lasting solution to the problem at hand, so we waited for them to sign the agreement so we can table that agreement at our next council meeting then we deliberate on the issues so that at the end of the day a decision will be taken with regards to the proposal that has been made by government, but as we speak now that document has not been signed yet.
“If the government was showing some sort of commitment, from Wednesday to today, it will be ready. The lackadaisical attitude should tell you that they are trying to deceive us.”
Commenting on this, labor expert Austin Gamey, urged government to show some commitment to the agreement by appending its signature to the contract.
He believes that would help erase any mistrust between both parties.
“They want to be sure that the employer will append his signature to whatever agreement they have to enable them lay it before their council and members who have agreed to suffer the consequences of their strike action. Until they have that guarantee that they have settled and they have all accepted it, they may not go back.”
Meanwhile, as CETAG awaits the signature, students of Colleges of Education across the country continue to feel the pinch of the strike, with many appealing to the government to address CETAG’s concerns.
They lament that the situation is affecting their academic journey.
“The strike is having a huge impact on students and the economic situation that we are in right now feeding on campus is something we cannot bear anymore. When you move outside to buy food, it cost over GHS20 and we have been here for over a month now, so the money we came with for the semester is even finished. We have also not been going to class so we learn on our own but we need explanation on some subjects so it is impacting us,” a male student told JoyNews.
Another student added that, “I am expecting them to call off the strike and come to school to continue their services to the nation. Ever since we came to school, there has not been any teaching or anything like that. Sometimes you need guidance from your teacher to understand whatever you are learning but now we just read with our own understanding which is not helping or improving our studies on campus.”
Background
On June 14, teachers in various colleges of education laid down their tools, demanding better working conditions and remuneration packages.
This action was a response to the government’s delay in implementing the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) Arbitral Award Orders and negotiated service conditions.
CETAG’s demands include the payment of one month’s salary to each member for additional duties performed in 2022, and the application of agreed rates of allowances payable to public universities to deserving CETAG members.
This strike has affected all 46 public colleges of education nationwide.
According to CETAG’s leadership, the strike aims to put pressure on the government to fulfil these commitments.
The academic calendar has been interrupted, and students are waiting anxiously for the resumption of classes.
The NLC secured an interlocutory injunction to halt the ongoing strike by CETAG.
Despite an NLC directive on June 20 to end the strike, CETAG continued, leading to a hearing where the Commission announced plans to sue the government to enforce the arbitral award in CETAG’s favour.
On July 22, CETAG leadership said it would resist any illegal attempts to freeze members’ salaries.
They have also vowed to intensify their indefinite strike until the arbitral award and negotiated service conditions are implemented.
CETAG insists its strike is legal and has accused the NLC of misinforming the public about its actions.
Speaking at a news conference in Kumasi on Monday, July 22, CETAG President Prince Obeng-Himang stated that members will remain on strike until all outstanding concerns are addressed.
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Source: myjoyonline.com