Negotiations led by the National Labour Commission (NLC) to resolve the impasse between the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) and the Education Ministry, ended unsuccessfully yesterday, leaving the teachers to remain on strike.
The NLC called the association and the Ministry for talks with the aim of ending the indefinite strike action which has led to the closure of about 46 teacher training colleges, but the two sides maintained their entrenched positions.
CETAG said it is not backing down on it current position with regards to the Interim Market Premium which the Ministry of Education describes as unreasonable.
While the CETAG is demanding an immediate release of the November salaries of the teachers which were frozen on the orders of the National Council for Tertiary Education because of the strike, the Ministry maintains its position that the stike is illegal and therefore the November salaries would have to be forfeited.
The teachers’ group says the NCTE directive to withhold their salaries is equally illegal.
According to the National President of CETAG, Prince Obeng the group would continue to freeze its services until their November salaries are paid into their respective bank accounts.
“We proposed that salaries are paid or restored by Monday and evidence of the restoration by the way of salaries hitting the accounts of members be seen. If that is done we will de-freeze the frozen services. We are still in a situation where our frozen services remain frozen,” he stated.
Must Read : No end in sight for CETAG strike
CETAG gave the government up to the end of October which is when the academic year begins to institute Market Premium, and Book and Research Allowance for its members.
Due to the inability of both parties to reach a consensus during the negotiation of the market premium and book and research allowance, CETAG on 29th October, 2018 in a statement, declared an indefinite strike.
By Benjamin Nana Appiah/adrdaily.com
