Members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) have called off the industrial action they embarked upon at the beginning of last month.
This follows a directive from the National Labour Commission (NLC) for the members of the association to call off the action.
The President of CETAG, Prince Obeng-Himah, confirmed the return of members of the association to the lecture halls of the 46 public training institutions yesterday (Tuesday).
Ruling
In its ruling last Thursday, the NLC directed members of the association to immediately call off their strike before it could intervene in the suspension of their August salaries.
It also urged the association to put its compliance with the directive into writing, a ruling signed by the Director, Administration/Human Resources of the NLC, Dr Bernice Welbeck, said.
The NLC’s directive followed a plea from the association for the commission’s intervention after the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) froze the August salaries of CETAG members who were then on strike.
Ministry
The Ministry of Education had directed the CAGD to not process the August salaries and allowances for members of CETAG.
Members of CETAG embarked on a strike from August 1, 2023, to press home demands for the government to adhere to the negotiated conditions of service.
A letter signed by the Director of Administration of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Saaka Sayiti, however, said, “Any arrears before August 2023 should be validated and paid”.
Decision
Mr Obeng-Himah said the decision to call off the action was a collective one taken by members of the association.
He said although the association did not agree entirely with the ruling of the NLC, as a law-abiding organisation, it had heeded the directive.
A statement dated July 10, 2023, and jointly signed by the President of CETAG, Mr Obeng-Himah, and the acting Secretary, Thomas Amponsah, said the decision to embark on an industrial action followed the non-compliance of the government to implement the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) Arbitral Award Orders and the negotiated conditions of service since May 2, 2023.
Source: myghanadaily
