Striking teacher unions return to classroom after 2 weeks of industrial action

The Three pre-tertiary teacher unions who embarked on an industrial strike action beginning Wednesday, March 20, 2024, over the government’s failure to address their conditions of service have finally called it off.

These unions include the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT).

FWSC to meet striking teacher unions

They justified their decision 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.

Highlights of the concerns raised by the teacher unions were the absence of an appropriate Scheme of Service and a Collective Agreement, rampant changes in the 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).

GES directs teachers to keep schools open and ensure safety of children despite strike

The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the National Labour Commission (NLC) in separate engagements with the teacher unions to address the matter and return to the classroom but it proved futile.

Meanwhile, the NLC to press on their intervention secured an injunction at the court to halt the industrial action and ensure the teachers to back and teach.

Striking teacher unions promise to make up for lost time when strike ends

However, leaders of the teacher unions in a statement read to the media on Tuesday, April 2, says they have called their two-week-old strike, thereby returning to the classroom with immediate effect.

President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana, King Ali Awudu, noted that there was the need for its employers to promptly engage in negotiations to address their concerns.

“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.

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 explained.