The Education Minister-designate, Haruna Iddrisu, has declared his commitment to resolving the issues that have led to the ongoing strikes by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG).
His remarks came in response to a question posed by Minority Leader and Ranking Member of the Committee, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, regarding how he plans to handle industrial actions within the education sector.
“I know CETAG and other unions have been unhappy over the past years, but I am ready to help resolve their issues,” Iddrisu stated.
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CETAG declared an indefinite strike on January 2, 2025, demanding the full implementation of their National Labour Commission (NLC) arbitration awards.
This action followed an emergency National Council meeting held on December 30, 2024, during which CETAG members expressed their frustration over the employer’s failure to address their grievances and violations of signed agreements.
CETAG has made it clear that its members will not return to the colleges to undertake any official duties, including teaching and supervision of project work and macro-teaching, until the last pesewa is paid into their accounts.
Iddrisu emphasized that his office is committed to resolving these issues and ensuring that the educational system runs smoothly in the country.
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Update on CETAG strike
It’s crucial to note that ongoing efforts are being made by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to migrate staff of Colleges of Education to the university salary structure.
This migration has been one of the major issues that CETAG is waiting for resolution on.
A “Test Report Reconciliation & Correction Workshop” was recently concluded (held from January 16 to January 20, 2025), aimed at rectifying errors and finalizing the data for the migration.
While validation data for other public sector workers has been published, that for Colleges of Education remains pending due to the ongoing migration process.
The Controller team has also requested email addresses from College Principals to facilitate the data validation, signaling that the January 2025 validation for Colleges of Education is being handled as a special case to ensure accuracy.
It is anticipated that the migration will be completed before January 31, 2025.
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In light of these developments, CETAG members have been urged to remain calm and patient as they await the data validation, which will be communicated in the coming days.