The Government has been given a strict ultimatum of twenty-four hours to avert a nationwide resumption of strike by the pre-tertiary teacher unions.
The unions, representing over 300,000 teachers across the country, have warned that agitations are mounting due to the slow progress in ongoing negotiations.
In an exclusive interview with TV3, Thomas Musah Tanko, the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) revealed that the teacher unions are dissatisfied with the lack of attention given to their demands by the government.
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Key among their demands is the payment of a 20 percent basic pay subsidy for teachers in deprived areas, which has been overdue for the past 15 years.
Additionally, the unions are requesting the payment of a professional development allowance of GHC1,200 per year for teachers, a demand that the government has yet to meet.
Mr. Tanko expressed concern that the slow pace of negotiations is eroding the gains made by teachers and indicated that the government must also address the issue of extra-curricular allowances.
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He stressed that the teachers have reached their “elastic limit” and issued a warning to the government to take the matter seriously. Failure to do so, he asserted, would be solely the responsibility of government officials.
The General Secretary also raised concerns about the Finance Ministry’s lackluster representation during the negotiations.
He highlighted the fact that those attending from the Finance Ministry do not have the authority to make binding decisions, which has further hindered progress in the discussions.
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Mr. Tanko emphasized that the magnitude of the case is not being appreciated by the Ministry of Finance.