PRE-TERTIARY teacher unions in Ghana have declared an indefinite strike action with immediate effect following the failure of the government to pay their Cost Of Living Allowance (COLA) by the June 30, 2022 deadline.
The unions include the Ghana National Association of Teachers, (GNAT) National Association of Graduate Teachers, (NAGRAT) Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU).
The unions declared the strike today at a press conference in Accra.
A joint statement signed by Thomas Tank Mush, General Secretary GNAT, Eric AgbeCarbonu, President NAGRAT, Mark Korankye, General Secretary TEWU and Awudu King Ali, President CCT-GH said their demand is influenced by the high level of inflation in the country.
“The incessant skyrocketing prices of fuel, goods and services, have eroded the already woefully so-called salary increases granted us as expressed in 4% and 7% for 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Inflation in the country iscurrently 27.6% and continues to escalate ad infinitum; only God knows when thiswill abate,” the statement said.
It further observed the groups’ displeasure about the ‘inept’ attitude of the government relative to their call for COLA.
“We have severally on different platforms and times made this callwhich fell on deaf ears of government.
For instance, the several Press Conferenceson this matter including an official correspondence dated 24 June, 2022 by the Secretary-General of TUC addressed to the President of the Republic of Ghana, have not had any acknowledgment from same,” it notes.
The statement stressed that the loud ‘silence’ of the government on the matteris worrisome and leaves much to be desired of any government that cares about its workers.
“We wish to unambiguously express our grave concern of the excruciating pain of poverty that has been bestowed on the Ghanaian teacher and Education Workers and leaves us with an inauspicious state of affairs.
The Members of the Unions ineducation can no longer bear the hardship. Even more so, we reject the inequalityof salaries in the public service of this country,” they said.
Consequently, we have decided to embark on a Strike Action, effectivetoday Monday, July 4, 2022.
“By this, we are informing the general public that, we are withdrawing all our services in all the Pre-Tertiary educational space (Teaching & Non-Teaching Staff),” it stated.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has invited the leadership of teacher unions to a meeting over their demands for the payment of cost of living allowance (COLA) to members.
It said only the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) had responded to attend, with the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Coalition of Concerned Teachers-Ghana (CCT-GH) and the Teacher and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) yet to respond.
It said once the other unions were ready for the meeting, it would be held, adding that the government was not insensitive to the plight of teachers and workers in general.
BY Jamila Akweley Okertchiri