Teachers’ strike continues despite progress in negotiation
The National Labour Commission (NLC) has made some progress regarding negotiations with striking teachers.
At a crucial meeting in Accra today, March 26, the Commission resolved three out of the nine concerns raised by the teacher unions.
These issues include the provision of laptops, the reinstatement of salaries blocked by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), and the establishment of terms of service for teachers.
The NLC clarified that negotiations will continue with teachers regarding the remaining six concerns.
Despite this headway, the striking unions are yet to back down.
This comes days after the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) declared a nationwide strike last week.
Speaking in an earlier interview with the media on March 25, the Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Ben Arthur questioned the motive behind the strike.
“The question that I want to ask, which is missing from all your arguments, is [whether] our teachers, whatever their grievances, [are] above the laws of this country. Do you believe that we should have a country where our teachers do not respect the laws of this country? What kind of country do you want to live in? What do you want to teach our kids? When you have gone on strike, with a Reverend Minister leading it, at the end of the day, you have failed to comply with the labor laws of this country. There are procedures to follow,” he said.
Mr Arthur stated that despite the procedures and provisions, including notifying the employer among other procedures, the teacher unions had failed to follow through and embarked on the strike with little concern for the ramifications.
“No matter your grievances, everybody has a grievance… one type or another. But for you to wake up and say that even when you have been asked to go back to the class you are not going to comply, is the labour commission that you even have reps there. Are you going to tell us that even the reps that you sent there are not capable?” he added.
In the same conversation the President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, Rev Isaac Owusu emphasised that they will not call off the strike until their demands are met.
