3 Teacher Unions threaten strike action

• Posted on February 16, 2016
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Three teacher unions have threatened to lay down their tools by the end of February if all outstanding monies owed them are not paid.

The Unions, the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers, (GNAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), say all attempts to get Government to implement a June 2015 agreement of the payment of the outstanding salary arrears have failed.

The unions are demanding the payment of the arrears of the 2013 and 2014 batches of newly recruited teachers, teachers on promotion and others who were reinstated or re-engaged, and also outstanding transfer grants and allowances for deserving teachers.

The Vice President of the NAGRAT, Angel Carbonu, told Citi News they signed an agreement with government in November 2015 to have their arrears fast-tracked but government has violated the agreement.

“Those arrears have not been paid, they haven’t given us any information because the kind of roadmap that we drew last year November, was such that as and when teachers fill forms which are vetted by the audit service, those that have passed through the vetting process will be forwarded to the Controller and Accountant General for the payment of their monies.

So we thought that was going to be followed. Unfortunately, that has not been followed through.”

He said they have petitioned the National Labour Commission and will hold subsequent media briefing on the matter.

“We are expecting that by the end of this month, everybody would have been paid, and I can assure that we will advise ourselves as a labour union if that is not adhered to,” Angel Carbonu added.

On his part, the President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ernest Owusu, indicated that government has showed bad faith.

“Our people are crying, they are still teaching, some of them have been teaching for close to three years, some of them four years and you pay them only three months.

So looking at the pressure that is coming from within, we have no option than to embark on such an action,” he added.

-Citifmonline