Three Teacher Unions — the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) have declared a strike.
The nationwide industrial action is expected to take effect from Monday, December 9, 2019.
According to them, checks have revealed that their arrears have been verified and approved for payment by the Controller and Accountant General’s internal audit unit but the monies have not been released yet.
They claimed that the Ghana Education Service blamed the delay in releasing the monies on discrepancies in the verified data.
Speaking to the media, the President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Philippa Larsen said teachers deserve better.
“We are not prepared to see our teachers suffer as a result of somebody’s negligence. Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears and the status quo remains. We cannot continue to tolerate this. Indeed, for how long shall they ignore our members. The teachers – the purveyors of education, don’t expect us to continue to look on. We can’t stand this. In light of this development, the Ghana National Association of Teachers, National Association of Graduate Teachers, Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana, do hereby today [Thursday] declare a strike by our members effective Monday 9th December 2019.”
This is not the first time this year that the teacher unions have embarked on such industrial action to press home their demands.
The groups had also bemoaned the inability of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Public Services Commission to facilitate their promotions.
According to NAGRAT for instance, the failure of the Public Service Commission to amend their records has led to delays in promotional interviews.
For CCT, they have been demanding that the GES promotes teachers who are due for promotion and upgrade salaries of teachers who are due for the same.
It also called for the reinstatement of their members who were sent away for minor offences and others who are first-time offenders.
