Accra, Sept 20, GNA - The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) on Wednesday said the issues of fairness, equity and comparability were going to be the key determinants in negotiations for the 2007 salaries of teachers.
'We, therefore, trust government will accommodate our demands to ensure that negotiations are not protracted so that we can have industrial peace and harmony,' Mr Joseph K. Adjei, National President of GNAT, said at a press conference in Accra.
He said GNAT the legally recognized bargaining agent for all teachers in the Ghana Education Service, (GES) was entering into negotiations on behalf of all teachers.
Mr Adjei said: 93GNAT needs to emphasise that it had already negotiated for year 2006 and is presenting its inputs on behalf of all teachers to Government for inclusion in the 2007 budget for consequent negotiations.
'We have noted with concern the abysmally low levels of remuneration of teachers and the National Council of GNAT hinted in a communiqu=E9 issued after its meeting in Kumasi in August, 2006 not to negotiate within the parameters of the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS) as it currently stands.'
The President of GNAT said their resolve on the issue was strengthened, among other things, by the government negotiating with some other public sector employees outside the GUSS.
=93In going for the 2007 salary negotiations, GNAT is informed by the fact that some groups of workers have been taken out of the GUSS and given preferential treatment by the Government.'
Mr Adjei also reminded Government of the need to expedite action on the implementation of the Recommended Scheme of Service for teaching personnel in the GES.
'We hereby advise all teachers to address themselves to their professional duties especially at this crucial moment when schools at both the first and second cycles have started the academic year,=94 he said.
