CETAG warns of nationwide strike over delayed compensation and migration

CETAG warns of nationwide strike over delayed compensation and migration: The over 46 colleges of education are likely to halt if the strike is enforced by Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana

The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has threatened to embark on an industrial action over the delayed implementation of staff migration and year-round work compensation stipulated in the National Labour Commission’s arbitral awards.

Expressing frustration over delays and accusing the government of failing to fulfil its promises four months after the association called off its longest-ever indefinite strike, CETAG said only four out of the 46 colleges have fully received their year-round compensation, leaving many members without the payments owed to them.

The College of Education Teachers Association has also sought the migration of Colleges of Education teachers onto their affiliate university payrolls by October 30, 2024.

In an interview with Citi News monitored by GhanaEducation.org, CETAG National President Maxwell Bunu accused the government of deliberately withholding their rightful arbitration awards without justification.

The CETAG member warned that members of the College Teachers Association are prepared to boycott lectures starting January 13, 2025, if their demands are not met.

CETAG therefore is calling for urgent action to address the delays and ensure that teachers are fairly compensated, warning that further inaction could disrupt academic activities across Colleges of Education nationwide.

“We want to assure the outgoing and the incoming governments that until this is done, no college lecturer will step his or her feet into the classroom to teach come January 13, 2025. So the two governments should collaborate and get this done for the college teacher”.

Mr Bunu further called on President Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government to ensure that their demands are fully addressed before December 20, 2024.

“All members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) are earnestly appealing to the outgoing government, in particular, to take steps to migrate all staff to the university salary structure as we have all agreed at several meetings.

We are also asking them to pay the all-year-round work compensation that we deserve for the work that we did in the year 2022,” CETAG National President Maxwell Bunu told the Accra-based radio station.

CETAG warns of nationwide strike but will it happen given that a new goverment is taking over on January 7th, 2025? Time will tell.