The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has cautioned that the Association will resume on strike if the government does not adhere to their demand.
According to the spokesperson, Dr Dominic Owusu, the government has in previous years neglected its responsibilities when strikes were called off.
He stressed that based on the commitment received, he hopes the government fulfills its part of the bargain.
“We want to caution that we shall monitor every process of the migration and ensure that all the seven points that we have given if they are not adhered to, we shall return on strike,” he told JoyNews on Tuesday, August 20.
His comments follow CETAG’s official announcement to call off its strike effective Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
In a statement, CETAG noted that the decision to call off the over-eight-week strike came after a meeting with Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on August 15, 2024, at the Jubilee House.
The statement read, “In an emergency virtual National Council meeting of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) today, Tuesday, 20th August 2024, Council members have voted unanimously to call off the ongoing strike action of the Association with immediate effect.”
The statement also highlighted the government’s assurances regarding the resolution of the impasse.
“The assurances were confirmed in a meeting between the Government Team and representatives of CETAG at the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) on Monday, 19th August 2024 in which the Government team gave a roadmap with clear timelines for fulfilling the outstanding concerns of CETAG,” part of the statement read.
On the back of this, Dr Owusu emphasised that the Association has shown the utmost respect to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who stepped in as a mediator to help resolve the issue.
“The strike has been called off and we are given maximum and due respect to the second man of the land – that’s our Vice President. He actually came in as a mediator to mediate and give us the assurance that he is stepping in to help us resolve the issue,” he said.
He also acknowledged the commitment of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, and other government agencies for their involvement and assurances.
Dr. Owusu assured that CETAG would closely monitor the migration process and ensure that all seven of their demands are met.
The CETAG spokesperson also said that teachers will return to classrooms to resume lecturing starting Monday, August 26.
According to him, it was necessary to call off their strike because they were committed to the future of education.
Dr Owusu noted that many teachers had travelled to different parts of the country during the strike to seek additional sources of income, and with the strike now over, he hopes that teachers will reconvene and resume their duties.
“We will regroup and assemble ourselves and go back to our colleges and we’re hoping that come Monday, we will start serious lecturing,” he said.
Source: Myjoyonline
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