Ishmael Mensah Blog of Monday, 23 December 2024
Source: Ishmael Mensah
Citing the government's ongoing breach of important agreements, the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has declared an indefinite strike that will start on December 31.
The union voiced its intense annoyance at what it characterized as repeated violations of agreements made during earlier negotiations during an emergency meeting of CETAG's National Council on Friday, December 20.
In a statement released on Monday, December 23, CETAG emphasized the government's incapacity to uphold an agreement reached on August 19, 2024, and its refusal to enforce a mandatory arbitration ruling given by the National Labour Commission (NLC) on May 2, 2023. According to CETAG, "blatant disregard for our agreement has forced us into this position, which is negatively affecting our members and the education sector at large."
Top government officials, including the Vice President, the Minister for Employment, Labour Relations, and Pensions, and the Minister of Education, gave the union assurances that a previous strike would be suspended in August 2024. But according to CETAG, those promises haven't been kept.
To avoid interfering with the academic calendar, CETAG is calling on all relevant parties, including the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG), associate universities, GTEC, and the Ministry of Education, to step in. The leadership urged prompt action to address their concerns and prevent further issues, emphasizing that all diplomatic options had been explored.