The Ministry of Labour and Employment Relations (MLER), through the Fair Wages Commission has invited the leadership of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association Ghana (CETAG) and other stakeholders to a meeting on Monday morning at the MLER.
The meeting, among other things, would discuss concerns of CETAG members, who are currently on a nationwide strike, which is two months old and has led to a halt in academic work at all 46 colleges of education in the country.
Other stakeholders invited to the meeting include the President of CETAG, Ministry of Finance, Director Tertiary (Ministry of Education), Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF), Director General, GTEC, The Head, Public Financial Management Unit (CPMU) and MoF.
In a letter dated 14th August 2024 and signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages Commission, Ing. Benjamin Arthur, also copied the Minister of Finance, Education and the Deputy Minister of Finance.
Background
CETAG members in all 46 colleges of education on 14th June embarked on strike action over the government’s delay in implementing their National Labour Commission’s Arbitral Award and negotiated service conditions.
Some of their demands include the payment of one month’s salary to each member for additional duties performed in 2022 and applying agreed rates of allowances payable to public universities to deserving CETAG members.
The impasse has brought academic activities on all campuses of colleges of education to a halt, affecting teaching and learning.
Leadership of the College of Education Students Association has therefore proposed closure of the colleges so they could go home while the issue was being resolved.
This, the government has kicked against vehemently stating that there has been a breakthrough with CETAG and soon they will come back to campus to teach.
The President of Princof, Prof. Samuel Atintono, has, in one breath, assured the nation that they were ready to fix the academic calendar and restore academic work to normal, as soon as the CETAG members come back to campus.
