Pre-tertiary teacher unions go on strike over Conditions of Service

Citing poor condition of service, three pre-tertiary teacher unions have declared a nationwide strike action to register their displeasure over the central government’s delay in addressing their work conditions of service.

The striking teacher unions are the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh).

In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 20, the unions stated that their intent to embark on the industrial action stems from the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service’s delay in addressing their conditions of service.

GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT-GH in the press release sighted by Thisterm.com stated that the negotiation of a new collective agreement should have been completed on or before February 29, 2024, but that was not done.

“The new Collective Agreement stands un-negotiated and we raised this concern in our letter to the Director General GES, dated February 29th, 2024 and also informed the National Labour Commission,” they said in the statement.

The National Association of Graduate Teachers on its part has urged the government to refrain from frequent changes to the school calendar without the input of the teacher unions, saying it was affecting the smooth operation of the system.

NAGRAT also said the inability of the government and the service to complete the distribution of the laptops to all teachers is of concern, and the blockage of teachers’ salaries by the Office of the Special Prosecutor without recourse to laid down procedures is a major worry.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has issued a directive to heads of public kindergarten, Junior and Senior High Schools across the country to mobilise their management teams to ensure the safety and well-being of all students in school.

The Education Ministry in a statement has urged parents to remain calm as the management of the Ministry in Charge of Education (MoE) closely monitors the situation to advise on the way forward accordingly.