The Colleges of Education Teachers’ Association of Ghana (CETAG) has issued a stern warning to the government, indicating that they may embark on industrial disturbances if their demands are not met.
According to CETAG, the government has failed to implement compulsory arbitration awards directed by the National Labour Commission (NLC), resulting in a delay in settling agreed-upon conditions of service for its members. The association has set a deadline of May 31, 2024, for the government to fulfill these obligations.
Despite engaging in negotiations with the government through the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission in 2021, CETAG found themselves at an impasse, prompting the NLC to intervene with a Compulsory Arbitration following a strike in January 2023.
The NLC issued an Arbitration Award Order on May 2, 2023, granting CETAG members new conditions of service with effect from January 1, 2023, which included proposed salary grades, staff audits, all-year-round work compensation, and research allowances for the 2022/2023 academic year. However, these conditions have not been met by the government.
Speaking at a press conference, CETAG President, Prince Obeng-Himah, expressed concern over the delay in implementing the negotiated terms, stating that teacher educators are not being properly recognized and remunerated.
The association has demanded the immediate implementation of the arbitration awards, including a one-month salary payment based on the proposed salary grade, application of agreed rates payable to public universities, and the commencement of the completed staff audit exercise from January 1, 2023.
CETAG has called on various government bodies, including the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, and the Ministry of Education, to comply with the NLC’s directives in the interest of industrial peace.
As the deadline approaches, the association has urged President Akufo-Addo and other authorities to intervene and prevent any potential disruptions in the 46 public colleges of education.
