The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has stated that the move by the government to seize their August salary for the strike action is a slap on Ghana’s democracy.

This comes on the back of Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) writing to the Controller and Accountant General on behalf of the Minister of Education, Yaw Adutwum to not validate the payment of salaries of CETAG members.

The directive also includes the nonpayment of the allowances of the Teaching Staff of all the 46 Colleges of Education.

Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, the Vice President for CETAG, John Newton Kumi stated that the National Labour Commission (NLC) has not at any point declared their strike action illegal.

“I think this is a slap on the face of democracy and all meaning Ghanaians who believe in democratic dispensation must rise and speak against this kind of treatment.

“All along CETAG has been law abiding and so our case was taken to the NLC by the employer. You know we’ve been fighting for these two years now. On no occasion has CETAG taken the government to NLC. It is the government that often takes CETAG there and we respond,” Mr. Newton Kumi stated.

He continued: “NLC has given awards after compulsory arbitration but the government failed to honor them. We gave adequate information and time over a month to do the necessary thing so that we do not go the other way. All fell on dead eyes.”

The Vice President questioned why after the association has gone through all the due process before embarking on their strike action they will be treated in that manner.