Accra, Nov. 10, GNA - Religious bodies have broken the ice that had seen frozen ties between the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) on one hand and NAGRAT and the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Papa Owusu Ankoma on the other.

Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, the Archbishop of Cape coast, led the Conference of Religious Bodies for Peace on Thursday to facilitate the talks that could see the end of a debilitating rivalry between the two teacher unions and a crippling strike by NAGRAT that has seen the classrooms of second cycle schools, in particular, empty since the term began in September.

"Let us give them credit. The meetings were good," Mr Munkayila King Zakari, General Secretary of NAGRAT, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on Friday. "They preached peace and love." "The meeting with GNAT was to iron out our differences (between NAGRAT and GNAT). After the GNAT meeting, they took us to meet the Minister; that is to break the ice," he added.

He declined to give any detail about the meeting with Papa Owusu Ankoma, but added, "He received us well."

The Minister had met NAGRAT officials before the strike was launched. However, he has declined to meet them since the strike began as negotiations cannot be held when workers are on strike. Several efforts by various groups to end the strike have failed and some members of GNAT have also joined the strike against the advice of their leadership.

Some regional branches of NAGRAT have called off the strike and asked members to resume teaching, but some teachers have rejected the directive of their executives.

Mr Munkayila said differences between GNAT and NAGRAT centred on mistrust and misunderstanding, especially between their leadership, and the meeting "was to restore trust and understanding". He said they underlined their common interests but there were some issues that were peculiar to NAGRAT members who were mainly in second cycle institutions.

Mr Munkayila said GNAT again invited NAGRAT to join in the negotiations between the Ghana Education Service (GES) and GNAT on salary proposals and collective bargaining agreement but they declined because they did not want to "derail" the process.

"GNAT extended the invitation but we said it was improper to join them in midstream or when negotiations were about to end. "The proposals are to be incorporated into the 2007 budget which will be read next week. We might derail what has been achieved, as we might make proposals that might delay the process."

They, however, agreed to collaborate on other issues.

The GES announced on Thursday that negotiations they were having with GNAT on salary proposals and collective agreement were still going on.

Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, the Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Committee, said teachers and the general public would be informed about the outcome "as soon as negotiations are concluded".

Mr Munkayila said NAGRAT had never looked down on GNAT, but any time NAGRAT undertook "an action", GNAT came out to condemn them adding that there was the need for GNAT to change their approach to issues. "No one wants war. It is against everybody's wish. The impasse was neither good for them nor for us...."

Asked whether a demonstration NAGRAT members were reported to be planning for Kumasi would come on given the credible effort of the religious leaders, he replied: "I am not privy to the demonstration." Mr Munkayila could not say when the strike action would end but said:

"Every journey has an end; we're always hopeful that the light will appear (at the end of the tunnel). We're all praying because Ghana is the only country for us all. We had hoped that by our action the authorities would take action.... We deserve what we are asking for, as most teachers are doing the work of eight teachers. That is a lot of work."

NAGRAT on Wednesday communicated the ruling of the Accra Fast Track High Court that declared their strike illegal and therefore ordered them to return to the classroom.

A terse statement signed by Mr Marjore Affenyi, Publicity and Organising Secretary of NAGRAT, said:

"The Accra High Court (Fast Track Division) has ruled that the strike action by teachers is illegal and should be called off. The court by its ruling has ordered all NAGRAT members to return to the classroom. We are by this release communicating the ruling of the court to members."

Mr Kwami Alorvi, President of NAGRAT, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that they were obeying the court. "We are obeying the ruling of the court," he said. "We have filed an appeal against the ruling, but the date has not been fixed as yet. That is why we are taking this action."

NAGRAT embarked on a crippling strike action on September 1 that has kept them away from the classrooms and put the future of students, especially SSS 3 students who would be writing their examinations in May/June next year, at risk.

The strike action was to back demands on the government to review salaries of workers, especially those of teachers.

The graduate teachers also asked the Controller and Accountant General to stop the use of Auto Code that effects deductions from teachers' salaries and a replacement of the Acting Director of the GES, Mr Michael Nsowah, whose compulsory retirement was due last year. They further asked the government to implement all outstanding grievances on which Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) had been signed, including invigilation allowances for Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE).

They also called for a meeting between the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the GES to discuss invigilation fees.

Other issues included the implementation of adjustment in salaries and ranks of Assistant Director and above, meaningful responsibility allowances to be put in place by the GES and its Council for all teachers and payment of arrears for teachers recruited in the 2003/2004 academic year.

An Accra Fast Track Court on October 31 ordered the striking members of NAGRAT to call off their strike to return to the classroom. The court ruled that the President of the NAGRAT, Mr Kwami Alorvi, the vice president and all regional officers of the Association should return to the classrooms and teach according to their conscience. The ruling followed an application filed by the National Labour Commission (NLC) praying the court to order members of NAGRAT to call off their strike action.

The court, presided over by Mr Richard Asamoah, said NAGRAT should use proper means to achieve its objectives. "The court will not give room to lawlessness in the country," it ruled.

The Court also asked NAGRAT "to teach according to the laws and their conscience". The NLC filed a suit on October 11 seeking, among other things, an order under Section 172 of Act 651 of the Labour Act, to compel the leadership in particular, and members of NAGRAT in general, to comply with the Commission's order directing them to call off the illegal strike.

However, Members of the National Association of Graduate Teacher (NAGRAT) who have returned to the classrooms in Accra have appealed to the government to take immediate steps to pay back their October salaries to guarantee their stay in the classroom.

Most of the teachers GNA spoke to said although they had returned to the classrooms, their presence would not be effectively felt by the students if the authorities did not release their salaries swiftly. "They want us to teach, meanwhile they are holding our salaries. How can you muzzle the horse and expect it to work, it is practically impossible," a teacher said on the ground of anonymity.

The Controller and Accountant-General has withheld October salaries of the striking teachers on the orders of the Ghana Education Service (GES) which has also warned that teachers who are not in the classrooms by November 10 would forfeit their November salaries as well. At Accra High Secondary School, the teachers had reported for duty and teaching was in full session.

Mr Isaac Ohenmeng-Gyebi, Headmaster, said that he had mapped out a series of strategies to make up for the time lost during the strike action.

"We are likely to extend the official vacation date from December 15 to 22 as well as the daily closing time." Mr. Ohemeng-Gyebi also stressed that the main snag was the government blocking the teachers' October salaries, which could hold some teachers back and disrupt the smooth execution of his programme to catch up with lost time.

He appealed to the GES to, as a matter of urgency, pay the October salaries to give the teachers the needed impetus to stay the in the classroom.

The headmaster said he was optimistic that with the measures adopted he had put in place coupled with the experience of the teachers, the students, particularly the final year students, would come out with flying colours.

A teacher, who spoke on the ground of anonymity stressed that NAGRAT had declared "holy labour war" and was poised to fight to the end saying, "we are back but the struggle is not over; we have only changed our mode of operation."

He said their return was basically due to the public concerns and not the threats of government and asked why no action was taken against workers in other areas who also went on strike to push demands for better salaries.

"Health professionals caused a worse evil; people who died cannot return but teachers can make up for the time lost to the students. This is tantamount to treating the profession as inferior to others and that we will fight." 10 Nov. 06