Members of the three prominent Teacher Unions in Ghana – GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT-GH in the Upper East Region – have issued a stern warning to the government regarding the prolonged delay in finalizing the new Collective Agreement (CA).
According to representatives from the unions, the government has displayed a consistent lack of commitment over the past two years, leaving educators in a state of limbo with no tangible progress in sight.
“We have had to hang on the thin line, with our members complaining bitterly. These complaints have become worse, especially as our members are reeling under the utter hardship imposed on us all by the current economic conditions in the country. We wish to emphasize that the last 24 months have been the most tortuous for the Ghanaian Teacher, with no ray of hope of relief initiated by the Employer,” they stated.
Expressing their frustration at a press conference held on Monday, May 6, 2024, in Bolgatanga, they condemned what they described as the nonchalance, complacency, and aloofness of the Employer.
Lare Kitonname, the Upper East Regional Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), speaking on behalf of the teachers, emphasized the urgent need for the government to fulfill its promises and address the concerns outlined in the Collective Agreement.
“Our Collective Agreement (CA) has expired since August 2023 and all efforts to get the employer on the negotiating table to agree on the new CA have proved futile. We have been contemplating on 17 types of allowances. However, due to several considerations, we have reduced them to four, including: The Deprived Area allowance, Extra Assessment allowance, Book/Data/Online Teaching support allowance, and Upward Adjustment of the CPD Allowance.”
He added that despite the gesture of good faith from the Unions, the government is still adamant and has demonstrated bad faith.
“We wish to stress that we have had enough of the nonchalance, complacency, and aloofness of the Employer, and would thus not countenance this situation any longer.”
The unions have therefore set a deadline of May 13, 2024, for the government to take decisive action in resolving the impasse.
“Friends from the media and all stakeholders in education, we wish to state in the strongest terms that, should the Employer fail to address our demands on or before May 13, 2024, we will take our next line of action.”
Failure to meet this deadline, they warned, would result in the implementation of their next course of action, which was not specified but hinted at potential industrial action.
Source: A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHZ|Moses Apiah|Bolgatanga|
