The leadership of the Colleges of Education Teachers’ Association of Ghana (CETAG) has defended its strike action.
It would be recalled that on Monday, November 14, 2022, teachers at the colleges of education laid down their tools in protest against the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission’s unilateral action to vary CETAG’s 2021 Conditions of Service to a later date.
Despite a plea by the Ministry of Education for the strike to be called off, the Association voted to continue with its ongoing industrial action.
However, there are reports that CETAG members could lose their December salary if they fail to call off their strike action.
Responding to the matter, the National Gender Coordinator of the Association, Sarah Andoh said the National Labour Commission (NLC) is the only right body to determine whether they had violated labour agreement to merit any sanction.
She explained that their action does not merit any sanctions if NLC has not declared it illegal.
“We are not worried at all that we may lose December’s salary. Actually, we don’t even think that it has to come to that, because National Labour Commission will have to indicate whether our strike is legal or illegal.
“Our strike has not been declared illegal by the National Labour Commission so we don’t really understand where this is coming from and until the NLC declares our strike as illegal, we don’t think that we should lose our December salary,” she said.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday, Sarah Andoh said the Association will not renege on the strike action until government comes to an agreement to meet their demands.
“We will only go back to the class when we have our grievances met or there is a written MoU stating what is going to be done for us then we know that we are going back to the classroom then we have something,” she said.
Touching on why the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) had ended the strike yet her outfit was still persistent in its action, she explained that the former had resolved its demands with government.
“Because they have gotten what they asked for. That’s why they have called off their strike. We haven’t taken an entrenched position, all that we are saying is that give us an MOU telling us the roadmap to our grievances which is, of course, very legitimate. So if they are prepared to sit down with us just like they sat down with UTAG,” she added.
The Gender Coordinator added that UTAG was given a hearing before they called off their strike hence government should adopt the same measures with them.
“UTAG never called off their strike, they were still on strike and they had the opportunity to sit down and trash issues out with the government why is it that we are not being allowed to do so and we are being asked to go back to the classroom before you can give us a hearing. Why are you threatening us with no validation, no salary when you have not given us the opportunity to sit down?,” she told host Blessed Sogah.
She added that “we will only go back to the class when we have our grievances met or there is a written MOU stating what is going to be done for us then we know that we are going back to the classroom then we have something.”
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