Tamale, Oct. 3, GNA - Teachers of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in the Zabzugu/Tatale District of the Northern Region have embarked on an indefinite strike to press home demands for better salaries and working conditions from the government.

In a statement issued in Tamale on Tuesday and signed by Mr. Atchulo Issah, Chairman of the Association, and copied to the press, the teachers said they had taken the action following the inability of the National Executives of GNAT to negotiate satisfactorily with the government for better salaries and improved working conditions for teachers.

The teachers said they would not suspend the strike action, which took effect on Tuesday October 3, until the GNAT national executive resigned.

They urged the government to sit down with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and identify all allowances due them and add them to their monthly salary.

"For instance, travelling allowances, medical refund, vehicle maintenance allowance, responsibility allowance and transfer grants should be added to our monthly salaries", the teachers said. The statement contended that teachers were the most humiliated workers in the country and urged the government to extend equal treatment to them as other workers to promote quality teaching and learning.

The teachers said all the good policies such as the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), the NEPAD Feeding Programme, as well as the Capitation Grant that the government had initiated, would fail if immediate steps were not taken to address problems militating against teachers.

The statement urged the government to pay workers based on certificates obtained and not according to the type of sector (Job). It called on the General-Secretary of GNAT to stop attacking the NAGRAT, saying: "NAGRAT is fighting for all teachers and we need to give them our moral support in that direction".