The Ghana Education Service (GES) has expressed shock at the strike notice given by three teacher unions in the country describing it as a gross abuse of the principle of good faith and good working relations they both enjoy.
The teacher unions; the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT)at a joint press conference declared an indefinite nationwide strike over their unpaid salary arrears which date as far back as 2012.
The industrial action begins on Monday December 9,2019 as students prepare for their end of term examination ahead of their vacation for the yuletide.
Clad in red, head and arm bands the teacher unions addressed by President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, Phillipa Larson announced the strike.
“We are not prepared to see our teachers suffer as a result of somebody’s negligence. Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears and the status quo remains. We cannot continue to tolerate this. Indeed, for how long shall they ignore our members. The teachers – the purveyors of education, don’t expect us to continue to look on. We can’t stand this. In light of this development, the Ghana National Association of Teachers, National Association of Graduate Teachers, Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana, do hereby today [Thursday] declare a strike by our members effective Monday 9th December 2019.”
They, therefore, directed all members to stay out of classrooms across the country in protests of the “sufferings” endured as a result of years of neglect.
But in reaction to the strike, the Ghana Education Service has explained that plans were far advanced to fully pay all outstanding arrears owed the teachers.
“The Legacy Arrears was as a result of the policy by the then government which allowed the payment of three months of salary arrears owed any employee in the Public Service. All other arrears were to be justified and validated by the Audit Service before payment.”
“Since 2017, the current government has taken deliberate actions to pay off the arrears due to those who deserve them. It is significant to note that as of September 2019, about 87,556 staff of GES had been paid their full salary arrears, representing 95% of total staff validated for payment,” the statement signed by the Director-General of GES, Prof Opoku Amankwa said.
The GES further added that: “It is, therefore, with utmost shock that management has learnt of the purported declaration of the strike action and states that the conduct of the union leaders is grossly an abuse of the principle of good faith and good working relations which have been established and nurtured over the years.”
By: Ekow Annan/frontpagegh
