The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has criticised the leadership of teacher unions – Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers-Ghana (CCT-GH) – failing to comply with the country’s labour laws before embarking on strike.
The
Commission’s Chief Executive, Benjamin Arthur, on JoyNews’ PM Express was
disappointed that the industrial action was carried out without prior notice to
relevant stakeholders including the FWSC and the National Labour Commission.
According
to him, the leadership of these unions had not followed the necessary protocols
before declaring the strike.
Thus,
leading to what he termed as an "ambush" and surprise to all involved
parties.
“The
leadership of GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT-GH failed to notify the employer, Fair
Wages and Salaries Commission was not in the known, what was statutory of you
to notify the National Labour Commission was also not done, and then all of a
sudden, we’re ambushed, everybody is surprised,” he said on Monday.
He questioned the legality and governance
of the country in such instances, drawing a parallel with hypothetical strikes
in the private sector.
"In
the private sector, if tomorrow, unknown to the employer or relevant
stakeholders, all the staff decide to embark on a strike, how do we govern this
country?" he quizzed.
On
Wednesday, March 20, three teacher unions have declared a nationwide strike.
The
industrial action stems from the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education
Service's delay in addressing their conditions of service. They stated that the
negotiation of a new collective agreement should have been completed on or
before February 29, 2024, but that was not done.
Meanwhile, students in over 500 public
senior high schools will receive an iPad under the Ghana Smart School project.
Under
this initiative, students will have access to e-learning materials as
government commits to leveraging technological innovations to prepare students
for the challenges and opportunities of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
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