Teacher unions’ make no headway as meetings with the government end with no concrete decision.

Ghana Education News has received information about the meeting between the teacher unions and the government, which concluded with unclear and concrete decisions on the pending issues the teacher unions had raised.

The latest meeting was held on Monday, April 8, 2024, between the government and the unions.

According to the update, the teacher unions have made no headway as their meeting with the government ended with no concrete decision.

“Please, the team just finished today’s meeting, and so far there hasn’t been any concrete decision from both parties. We have adjourned the meeting to next week. “is the update from the three unions to teachers sighted by Ghana Education News.

The parties have scheduled a meeting for next week to continue the ongoing negotiations. Before the meeting, the teacher unions brought up crucial issues that required attention. The unions embarked on a two-week strike due to these issues, which a court order foiled.

Issues regarding outstanding laptops, the drafting of a scheme of service, and teachers’ blocked salaries seem to have been curtailed but are yet to be solved.

However, the union is looking forward to a historic 150% increase in the Continuous Professional Development Allowance from GHS1200 a year to GHS3000.00, as well as a 20% deprived area allowance for teachers who accept posting to villages, among other things.

While these demands are legitimate, the question remains whether the government will ever honour these percentages. If so, it would have done so without the need for the unions to embark on their two-week strike.

In our previous public discussion on the issue, “Teacher unions won’t get what they want in pending negotiations,” we outlined compelling arguments for why the unions’ fight will not result in the desired percentage increase they are seeking from the government.

It is important to put on record that the unions have never succeeded in maintaining their position in any negotiations with the government; hence, the government of Ghana knows exactly how to play its cards anytime the teacher unions get to the negotiation table.

While we support the move by the unions and their legitimate demands, it will not yield the desired results. Teachers should expect their unions to reach a compromised percentage increase in the said allowances, and nothing more.

We shall keep our readers updated with the latest updates on these issues next week.