CAGD asked to withhold College teachers’ July salaries amid strike

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has instructed the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) to withhold the payment of July 2024 salaries of public Colleges of Education teachers currently on strike.

In a letter sighted by Thisterm.com, the management of the Tertiary Education Commission, however, asked the Accountant General’s Department to make the payment of Colleges of Education Principals’ salaries for July this year.

“At the instance of the Minister of Education on the non-adherence of CETAG members to call off an illegal strike from June 2024, you are by this letter requested to stop the salaries of all teaching staff of the Colleges of Education except for the College Principals for July 2024,” GTEC said the letter to CAGD.

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission has similarly directed the Principals of all 46 government Colleges of Education (CoE) across the country not to validate the July 2024 salaries of all their teaching staff until further notice.

GTEC’s directive follows the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) decision not to return to the classroom to teach until the central government has met their demands including payment of remuneration packages.

CETAG’s demands also include the payment of one month’s salary to each member for additional duties performed in 2022, and the application of agreed rates of allowances payable to public universities to deserving CETAG members.

The leadership of the Teachers Association of Ghana speaking to journalists said the ongoing strike aims to put pressure on the central government to improve their working conditions and settle their remuneration packages.

In response to GTEC’s letter, the CETAG leadership has warned it will resist any illegal attempts to freeze members’ salaries, vowing to intensify its indefinite strike until the arbitral award and negotiated service conditions are implemented.

The President of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), Prince Obeng-Himang speaking at a news conference in Kumasi stated that members will remain on strike until all outstanding concerns are addressed.

He cautioned that any attempt to illegally freeze salaries would lead to legal action, as the strike is a legitimate response to the government’s delay in implementing the arbitral award and negotiated service conditions.

“The first of such misinformation was put across by GTEC two weeks ago that the Government had paid CETAG members an amount of GH¢199 million as arrears for Book and Research Allowance for the 2022/2023 academic year. The fact is that as of today Monday 22nd July 2024, the Government has not paid any such money to members of CETAG

The second misinformation being peddled by some principals of colleges of education to students is that the affiliate universities shall conduct quizzes and examinations for the students whether the students are taught by the lecturers or not. This information is completely false because per the attendance policy of all the affiliate universities, a student cannot take an examination if he or she forfeits lectures/classes for more than twenty-one (21) days

CETAG is using this medium to advise students, principals and affiliate universities that any attempt to violate the class attendance policy shall be met with legal action by any stakeholder in the education space

We are by this press statement informing the public that CETAG’s strike action is legitimate since the Union followed all lay down processes before declaring the action. The Union wishes to notify the Employer that until it complies with all the outstanding arbitration awards by NLC, the Union shall never call off its ongoing strike action.”

Lastly, we want to caution that any attempt to illegally freeze salaries of our members who are on a legal strike shall be met with legal action against whoever takes such an action. CETAG will no longer tolerate injustice against its members because Ghana is a country governed by the rule of law,” he said at the conference.