Teacher Unions Call Off Strike Action

The three pre-tertiary teachers’ unions who started an industrial strike action on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 have called it off. 

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH)  declared an industrial strike over what they described as poor conditions of service. 

They attributed the move to the failure of the Ministry of Education and its implementing agency, the Ghana Education Service (GES) to put in place better conditions of service. 

Issues highlighted by the teachers were the absence of an appropriate Scheme of Service and a Collective Agreement, rampant changes in school calendar without recourse to the teachers, inefficient distribution of laptops and blockage of some teachers’ salaries by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Following the announcement, both the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the National Labour Commission (NLC) critiqued the move and urged the teachers to go back to the negotiating table. 

In a statement issued today [Tuesday, April 2, 2024], the President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana, King Ali Awudu, 
intimated the importance for their employers to swiftly address their concerns of the unions. 

“As law abiding citizens and having respect for the court, we hereby declare the strike that was called on 20th March 2024 off. We ask all our members and teachers of pre-tertiary education in this country to resume work with immediate effect,” he said. 

“We continue to ask the employer led by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to commence negotiations this afternoon, today April 2 2024. So we can expedite the negotiations and come to a conclusion to forestall any other happenings in the future,” he added.