As several labour unions in the education sector prepare for a meeting with the Minister of Education on Tuesday, October 1, there is growing scepticism among union leaders regarding the potential for meaningful outcomes.
The unions, including the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), and the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), are currently on strike over a range of demands, which have significantly disrupted the academic calendar in many schools across the country.
The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has pledged to address the grievances raised by the unions.
However, labour experts are urging the government to take swift action to meet the unions’ demands, emphasizing that the ongoing strike is having a detrimental effect on the education system.
The unions have made it clear that they will not return to work until all their concerns are satisfactorily resolved.
George Ansong, National Chairman of the SSA-UoG, voiced his doubts about the effectiveness of the meeting in an interview with JoyNews.
He expressed frustration over the slow response from the relevant authorities.
“I don’t expect anything substantial to come out of this meeting because the Ministry of Finance, which is crucial to addressing our concerns, is not directly involved. It has taken three weeks of strike action for the Ministry of Education to finally invite us to a meeting, which is concerning,” Mr Ansong said.
He stressed the importance of clear communication from the Ministry of Finance and called for the Education Minister to provide concrete updates on the situation.
He added “This is not the first time we are seeing some of these things. We often attend meetings, and are promised action, but then nothing changes,” he added.
National Chairperson of TEWU, Salamatu Briamah emphasised the unions’ expectation for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines a clear timeline for implementing agreed-upon actions, particularly regarding outstanding payments.
“We have already negotiated, and the government agreed to pay us, but they have not fulfilled their commitments. We expect an MOU that specifies that by the end of October, our allowances will be paid. Furthermore, they need to release our Tier Two pension payments by early October,” she stated.
National President of GAUA, Michael Owusu Ansah criticised the current approach to addressing the unions’ concerns, describing it as inadequate.
“GAUA thinks this approach isn’t effective because it’s a large meeting with different unions that have different demands. We don’t believe one meeting can solve everyone’s issues or end the strike. We will attend the meeting but will discuss what happens with our leaders afterwards.
“We’ve been through this before, and then the government failed to honour its part of the agreement. So, we don’t think tomorrow is going to be just one of those meetings where the Minister will appeal and say we understand you, we have heard your concerns, so call off the strike, and then we will engage. We don’t think that GAUA is going to accept that. GAUA wants to see actual changes.”
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