Negotiations between the three teacher unions and the government to resolve the ongoing strike by teachers has hit a snag again.
The meeting which lasted about an hour at the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations in Accra yesterday did not achieve the desired result as the teachers stormed out tight-lipped about what transpired at the closed-door meeting.
It was attended by the leadership of the three unions – the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) – the Ministers of Employment and Labour Relations and Education and officials from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
The National Labour Commission on Tuesday directed the teacher unions to call-off the strike and return to the negotiating table for a resolution.
“The government side will brief you,” Thomas Musa, the General Secretary of the GNAT said as the media attempted to solicit information from him on what transpired at the meeting.
Giving details of the meeting, however, Professor Charles Adabo Opong, Director, Grievances and Negotiations at the FWSC said the teachers have refused to comply with the NLC’s directive to call-off the strike.
“Because the teacher unions have not called-off the strike, we cannot continue with the negotiations,” he stated.
According to him, the teachers explained that they needed to go through some procedures in order to call-off the strike including consulting their respective councils.
“Because of that, we have also indicated that they have to comply with that directive by the NLC for us to continue with the engagement.
“If they are able to call-off the strike, we are ever ready as a government team to meet them even today or tomorrow,” Prof. Oppong stated.
To him, the decision by the teacher unions not to call-off the strike despite the directive by the NLC was disappointing as students continue to suffer the brunt of the industrial action.
The government, Prof. Oppong, said remain committed to the plight of teachers as 10 out of the 16 concerns have been addressed.
“Indeed, this should tell you that government is committed,” he said.
The teacher unions on March 20, 2024 declared a nationwide strike to press home their demands for improved conditions of service.
The concerns of the unions include the failure of government to provide some of their members laptops despite monies deducted from their salaries, thereinstatement of salaries of some teachers blocked by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), and the establishment of terms of service for teachers.
The strike has left students at the pre-tertiary level without teachers with final year students preparing for the Basic Education Certificate Examination being the hardest hit.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
