The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) may resume their strike action in January 2025 if their demands remain unfulfilled.
CETAG initiated an industrial action on June 14, 2024, demanding the full implementation of their outstanding Compulsory Arbitration Award issued by the National Labour Commission (NLC) on May 2, 2023.
The strike was suspended on August 20, 2024, after meetings with the Office of the Vice President and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) on August 15 and 19, 2024, respectively.
These meetings promised to fulfill CETAG’s demands within a specified timeframe.
SEE ALSO: CETAG Strike: Agreement Broken, Action Promised
Several key outcomes from these meetings included:
Migration to University Scheme: Both parties agreed to use the nomenclature, Scheme of Service, and Conditions of Service of CETAG’s affiliate universities for the migration of colleges. This was to be completed before October 2024.
Salary Payment: Salaries following the migration were agreed to be reflected in October 2024.
All Year-Round Compensation (AYRW): The Ministry of Finance completed the necessary groundwork for validated colleges and forwarded the information to the Ministry of Education for payment of their AYRW by the end of August 2024.
However, these promises remain unfulfilled.
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Meeting With Stakeholders
Consequently, on December 2, 2024, CETAG’s National Executive Officers, including Mr. Maxwell Bunu, Mr. Daniel Mensah Ofori, Mr. Fidelis Kamaayi, Dr. Nathaniel Atikumi, Ms. Afi E. Nutakor, and Mr. Messiah A. Morgan, met with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD), Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF), and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), to address the issues.
Highlights from the meeting include:
FWSC: They stated that most errors in the migration data had been corrected, with the new data set to be sent to the CAGD once a fresh warrant from the Ministry of Finance is received.
Minister of Education: Promised to facilitate the payment of AYRW compensation, as some colleges have already been paid.
CETAG Concerns: Raised concerns about position-holding allowances being withdrawn by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) despite the migration not yet being implemented.
The Minister tasked CETAG and PRINCOF to collate data to facilitate the reinstatement of affected members.
The Minister emphasized the need for schools to reopen and continue academic work, contingent on resolving CETAG’s issues.
CETAG demanded an official communication from the Minister of Education regarding the implementation of migration data, which the Minister agreed to issue after final confirmation from the Technical Team.
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Meeting With the Leadership of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission(GTEC)
On Wednesday, December 11th, 2024, a delegation comprising CETAG National President, Secretary, Research and Training Officer, and CENTSAG National Organizing Secretary visited Prof Ahmed Jinapor to assess the progress of the migration process.
During the visit, it was revealed that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) had not approved the letter for CAGD to migrate members of CETAG onto the University Salary Structure.
This revelation left Prof Ahmed Jinapor, the Director-General of GTEC, disappointed and frustrated, despite his previous efforts to expedite the process as promised.
In response to the delays, Prof. Jinapor directed one of his subordinates to visit the MoF to facilitate the signing of an updated letter that would enable CAGD to commence work on the updated data.
It was also revealed that there is a possibility that a supplementary payroll might be utilized to pay for the migration in December, as CETAG continues to follow up until the updated letter, which supersedes the previous one, reaches CAGD.
SEE ALSO: Alleged reasons for PRINCOF’s postponement of the reopening date for Colleges of Education
However, CETAG’s leadership made it clear that its members would not return to the classrooms in January 2025 if their demands regarding tthe migration data are not implemented.
The association also called on the various stakeholders to push for the timely fulfillment of their promises to avoid further disruption of the academic calendar.
Meanwhile, the colleges of education are set to commence their new academic year on January 13, 2025.