Until we see concrete action, we will stay home – Striking teachers

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has rejected what it describes as further promises from the government to address outstanding concerns over teachers’ conditions of service, insisting that teachers will remain on strike until concrete action is taken.

The meeting follows the decision by the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) to declare an immediate nationwide strike.

The unions are demanding action on a number of outstanding issues, including the payment of promotion arrears owed to teachers and delays in negotiations over their conditions of service.

They have maintained that the issues require urgent attention and have called for the government to address the arrears and conclude negotiations on the outstanding conditions of service.

Isaac Baah, Head of Salaries at GNAT, made the position clear after meeting the Minister of Education and his team on Monday, September 28, as part of efforts to resolve the issues that triggered the nationwide strike and pave the way for teachers to return to the classroom.

Mr Baah said the latest engagement had not provided the assurances the teachers’ unions were looking for, arguing that previous commitments had not translated into the action expected by teachers.

“Indeed, we met the minister and his team this afternoon with regard to our strike action. It has been the old story of promises upon promises,” he said.

According to him, the unions had reached a point where further promises were no longer enough and that the government must demonstrate that the outstanding commitments were actually being implemented.

“Where we have reached, at the moment we are not taking promises; we want action,” Mr Baah said.

Teachers to remain at home

Mr Baah said teachers would continue to stay away from their classrooms until there was tangible evidence that the issues raised by the unions were being addressed.

“Our teachers must continue to stay home until we see something concrete,” he said.

He specifically pointed to outstanding salary arrears, saying teachers wanted to see the payments reflected on their payslips and credited to their bank accounts before the unions would consider ending the strike.

“Until we see the salary and arrears reflected on our payslips and credited to our accounts, we will not return to the classroom,” he said.

The comments indicate that the unions are maintaining their industrial action despite the latest meeting with the Education Minister, with the payment and implementation of outstanding commitments remaining central to their position.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has appealed to the striking teacher unions to return to the classroom as he continues engagements with their leadership, alongside the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD), the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Ghana Education Service (GES).