Government has cheated, maligned us for too long – CETAG President

Prince Oben-Himah, President of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has said that the government has deceived and cheated them for too long over their conditions of service hence it is determined to ensure that their demands are met this time around.

He disclosed that efforts to meet in 2017 to resolve their grievances have proven futile over the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission's reluctance to meet their demands.

Prince Obeng-Hemah stated that his outfit will not call off the strike until the government meets its demands over conditions of service.

Speaking in an interview with Joynews on August 13, 2023, the president of CETAG lamented the meager salaries his members receive and indicated they remain unbroken in their resolve to improve the conditions of service for its members.

“In fact, you look at what we've gone through, I think that, like my members, we are prepared to die on the cross of conviction that we've been sidelined, we've been maligned, cheated for far too long. People have sacrificed to make colleges what they are. People are retiring and we show you the salaries of people.

“You look at people who would have gone to the universities to teach, others have gone to do PhDs, and they are there teaching just because they have a love for passion, for preservative teacher education. And you look at the salary they are taking, it's nothing good to write home about,” he said on The Probe on Joy news.

Prince Obeng-Hemah recounted how the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has failed to fulfill its demands since 2017 following their public outcry.

"So when we started making noise that we were sick and tired of the unfairness, the government said they had no money to pay the arrears from 2017 to 2020. So they worked out what they felt was something good for us, compensation, and slapped us without compensation. Helpless as we were, we had to accept it with a promise that as soon as we crossed that bridge, they were going to open fresh negotiations for us in 2021.

“In 2021, when we started in November, we signed as part of the rules of engagement, that we're going to finish the negotiation within six weeks.

"And the six weeks tend to be over a year running to two years, 2021 till recently when we felt tired and we took their matters with the National Labor Commission for them to activate their compulsory arbitration process,” he added.

On August 1, 2023, the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) embarked on a strike following a non-compliance by the government to implement the National Labour Commission’s arbitral ward orders and the negotiated conditions of service since May 2, 2023.

The strike is still ongoing despite calls by the government for them to return to the classroom as negotiations over their conditions of service continue.

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