The College of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has withdrawn all services from all 46 public Colleges of Education. This is after the Ministry of Education’s directive to Principals and the Controller and Accountant General not to validate the July 2024 salaries of teaching staff.
This was communicated in a statement signed by CETAG President, Prince Obeng-Himah:
“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 counseling 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 teaching staff of the 46 public colleges of education due to our ongoing legal strike. Meanwhile, leadership has referred the illegal directive to freeze our July 2024 salaries to our lawyers to take the necessary action on it immediately. We wish to assure all members that leadership is determined to fight on until justice is served to CETAG,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, when James Korbla Kukubor, chairman of CETAG at the St. John Bosco’s College of Education, spoke with Emmanuel Aboagye on A1 radio about the decision to withhold their salaries for July, he said, “We’ve been struggling with our conditions of service since 2021, and we have been on strike because our employer was not trying to listen to us. In December 2021, because they were not listening to us, we went on strike. Then in January 2022, GTEC called us because Fair Wages and Salaries Commission was not listening to us.”
He explained that after CETAG’s meeting with GTEC, the lecturers were promised that the issues would be rectified.
“Surprisingly, with all those assurances, nothing happened till December 2022 again when we also got angry and went on strike to demand what we deserve. In December 2022, the Minister of Education called us with assurance that we should call off the strike and he was going to look into the issue and solve it for us.”
Explaining to the host of the Morning Show on A1 radio, he said that all the promises made to them didn’t materialize, so they had to resume work in January 2023. Upon resuming, they were reported to the National Labor Commission by Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.
“We had to resume work in 2023 in January. Fair Wages and Salaries Commission reported us to National Labor Commission that we were engaging in a strike while negotiation was going on, which was not even true. So we were called by Labor Commission for us to come and settle the problem. When we went, we were told to go and solve the problem and come and give the report. We went, but we couldn’t see anything positive,” he added.
“So finally, on the 1st of March 2023, Labor Commission referred our matter to Compulsory Arbitration. At the end of it, on the 2nd of May 2023, a panel of arbitrators came out with an arbitration award and instructed that we should be paid a deserving rate that the university lecturers are taking for members that have the same qualifications as university lecturers. That award was given by National Labor Commission, which is binding on all those who went for the arbitration, that is, the employer and the sector from May 2023.”
He said that their book and research allowance, which was not paid fully to them, and Labor Commission asked them to pay the top-up for the 2022 and 2023 academic years, has not been paid.
The award that was given for them to be paid the appropriate rate has also not been paid, and he mentioned that anytime they talk about it, nothing is done to help with the issue.
When asked if he was aware of a directive given by GTEC to withhold their salaries for July, he replied, “We are very much aware of that, and we are very well prepared for it. It’s like you’re owing me, and I say you should pay me, then you come to arrest me for asking you to pay me. If that is what the law of Ghana is now, then we will see it at the court.”
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Mary Billa|Bolgatanga|Ghana
