Three teacher unions, including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh), have announced a nationwide strike starting Wednesday, March 20.
The decision to embark on the industrial action was made due to the delay by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service in addressing their conditions of service.
According to a press statement issued on Wednesday, March 20, the unions stated that negotiations for a new collective agreement should have been completed by February 29, 2024, but this has not been done.
“Thus, the new Collective Agreement stands un-negotiated and we raised this concern in our letter to the Director General GES, dated February 29th, 2024 and also informed the National Labour Commission. As we gather here now, the issue is still outstanding,” part of the statement said.
The unions have also highlighted the Ghana Education Service’s lack of a functional scheme of service for teachers, which they argue is essential for addressing the requirements of the teaching profession.
They emphasized that a “cogent and appropriate” scheme would encompass all the necessary aspects of the teaching profession.
Additionally, the unions pointed out the government and the GES’s failure to complete the distribution of laptops to all teachers.