Striking College teachers withdraw all services due to salary freeze

The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) following a directive for the Controller and Accountant General to freeze its members’ salaries has withdrawn all services in the 46 Colleges of Education across the country.

In a statement sighted by Thisterm.com, the leadership of the College Teachers Association said the unanimous decision to withdraw all services was taken at an emergency meeting of the National Council today, 23rd July 2024.

Services including attendance to meetings, congregation ceremonies, and provision of academic counselling services as well as supervision of students in the halls of residence CETAG said have been withdrawn immediately until further notice.

“In an emergency meeting of National Council today, 23rd July 2024, council members took a unanimous decision to withdraw all our services which include attendance to meetings, congregation ceremonies, and provision of academic counselling services as well as supervision of students in the halls of residence with immediate effect until further notice.

The decision is in response to the Minister for Education’s directive to Principals and the Controller and Accountant General not to validate the July 2024 salaries of the teaching staff of the 46 public colleges of education due to our ongoing legal strike,” CETAG said in the statement.

It also said the illegal directive by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) for the Controller and Accountant General Department to freeze their salaries has been referred to lawyers to take the necessary action on it immediately.

Except for College Principals, about 2,000 teachers across the 46 government Colleges of Education who have been on strike since May 2024 over dissatisfaction with their conditions of service salaries for July 2024 have been blocked.

The Deputy Director-General of the Commission, Professor Francis K.E. Nunoo has said tutors and principals who were at post to ensure that properties of the colleges were safeguarded would be exempted and paid their July salary.

Mr Nicholas Ameyaw, on behalf of the Director-General of GTEC, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor, directed the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) to freeze the salaries of the College teachers in response to the strike action.

“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,” part of the letter stated, adding “College Principals are not to validate the July 2024 salaries of all teaching staff.”

He in an interview with Daily Graphic pleaded with the striking tutors to call off the strike and return to the classroom and gave an assurance that once they suspended their strike, the decision to freeze their salaries would be reversed and their salaries processed and paid.

“If they go back to the classroom, we will suspend the letter instructing the CAGD not to validate their salaries and they will get their salaries and their families will smile home happily,” the Deputy Director said in an interview with Graphic.