The Greater Accra Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), yesterday served notice of its intention to embark on a strike action from Monday, 1st October 2001, should the Ghana Education Service (GES) fail to release extra service allowances due its members since November last year.
The warning was made at a meeting to deliberate on the strike action and other welfare issues affecting teachers.
Teachers from various schools turned up for the meeting. Among those present were the Regional Chairman of GNAT, Mr. Isaac Sagoe, Mrs. Eleanor Ohene, and Greater Accra Regional Secretary and other top executives of the Association.
Mrs Eleanor Ohene, who explained aspects of the revised conditions to the teachers, expressed disgust at failure of the GES to implement an agreement that enjoined it to pay teachers extra duty allowances.
She said those who qualify for the allowances include Regional/Divisional Directors and the Director General and his two deputies and those who patrol schools to supervise heads on their performances.
Also entitled are teachers in special schools like the schools for the blind, deaf, mentally retarded and physically handicapped, guidance counsellors, housemasters and mistresses who monitor and manage the lives of students in the boarding school.
Those who attended the meeting were therefore charged to disseminate the outcome of the meeting to various institutions and convince them join the strike action. They were also asked to sensitise the public on the reasons for their action.
The problem of workers' welfare is one of the numerous problems the government has inherited. Perhaps the government and the teachers and other public workers who are contemplating strike actions should find a way to resolve the issue to avoid such strikes which lead to low productivity.
