CETAG to resume strike Jan 6

The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has announced the resumption of its strike.

According to CETAG, it will resume its strike from tomorrow, Friday, 6 January 2023.

In a statement, released today, Thursday, 5 January 2023, the association noted that: “Following a meeting held between the Government Team and CETAG on 4th January, 2023 over the outstanding issues of CETAG, the National Council of CETAG met to evaluate what transpired and concluded that the strike action which was suspended on 17th December, 2022 shall resume on Friday, January 6, 2023 if the two-day grace period given to the Minister expires without a resolution of the outstanding issues.”

The association further noted that: “All the outstanding issues contained in the communiqué signed on 16th December 2022 which the Minister promised to resolve within two weeks after the suspension of the strike, remain unresolved to date.”

CETAG bemoaned the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) inability to take steps in order to seek financial mandate from the Finance Ministry, for the three outstanding allowances, despite the promise to do so.

It indicated: “The effective date of January 2023 which the Government Team wants to unilaterally impose on CETAG instead of the mutually agreed effective date of January 2022 is totally unacceptable.”

It also added: “GTEC has failed to disclose to CETAG the amount it has proposed to be paid as all-year-round work compensation as well as the time the payment shall be made.”

CETAG resumed work on Monday, 19 December 2022, after suspending its strike action.

A statement issued by the association announcing the suspension of the strike noted it is to give the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the opportunity to “fulfil his promise of helping to address all the unresolved issues CETAG had raised within two weeks.”

The statement continued: "Consistent with the Association’s bottom-up approach in decision-making, the leadership of the association consulted its teeming members on the matter and received a majority endorsement of the rank and file on Wednesday, 14 December 2022, to suspend the strike action, subject to the signing of a communiqué that shall bind the parties to commit to engaging to bring finality to CETAG’s 2021 Conditions of Service and payment of compensation for all-year-round work for the 2021/2022 academic year".

It urged its members to “resume work on Monday, 19 December 2022, on their various campuses.”

CETAG and the Colleges of Education Non-Teaching Staff Association of Ghana (CENTSAG) began an indefinite strike in all 46 colleges of education across the country over the government’s failure to prioritise their welfare.

The groups said they are disappointed at the non-finalisation of Conditions of Service (CoS) negotiations, the unilateral determination of April 2023 by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) as the effective date for placing First Degree Holders of CENTSAG on 17H on the SSSS, undue delay by the Ministry of Education in responding to requests for payment of compensation among others.

They gave the government a five-day ultimatum to address their concerns or they strike.

Following the expiration of the deadline, CETAG and CENTSAG declared a strike on Monday 14 November 2022 until their demands are met.