The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has finally called off its industrial strike which lasted over two months.
This latest development was announced in a statement released on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
However, the association has warned that if the government fails to adhere to the agreed road map, they will resume the strike at the end of October 2024.
In the statement, CETAG revealed that during an emergency virtual National Council meeting held on August 20, 2024, members unanimously agreed to call off the strike with immediate effect.
“The decision to call off the strike, according to the statement follows CETAG’s meeting with the Office of the Vice President on August 15, 2024, at the Jubilee House and the assurance given to stand surety for resolution of the impasse,” the statement read.
CETAG further outlined the road map that would prevent another strike.
1. The frozen July 2024 and August 2024 salaries shall be paid together at the end of August 2024.
2. That, the offline migration of the staff shall be completed at the end of August 2024.
3. The offline migration data shall be sent to all 46 colleges of education for verification by individual staff before processing by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) in September 2024.
4. That, payment after migration will reflect in October 2024 salaries and that, the parties shall meet to agree on the payment plan for all arrears immediately.
5. That, the nomenclature to be used for migrating Senior Members of the Teaching staff shall be Assistant Lecturer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Professor in line with the affiliate universities’ Scheme of Service.
6. That, compensation for All-Year-Round work done in 2022 shall be paid by the end of August 2024, and, 7. That, all holders of researched Master’s degrees shall be migrated as Assistant Lecturers,” it added.
It will be recalled that CETAG declared an indefinite strike on Friday, June 14, 2024, due to the government’s delay in implementing the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) Arbitral Award Orders and negotiated service conditions.
A day later, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) ordered CETAG to suspend the strike.
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The FWSC characterised CETAG’s action as a betrayal of trust, especially considering the government’s attempts to resolve their issues.
After some days, the National Labour Commission (NLC) announced its decision to sue the government to enforce its arbitral award orders in favour of CETAG.
Later, the NLC obtained an injunction, restraining CETAG from continuing its strike.
The NLC requested the court to restrain CETAG’s executives, officers, members, agents, and employees from further engaging in the strike action.
However, the strike persisted until the latest announcement.