NAGRAT and CCT see light in NLC negotiations

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and its solidarity teacher union, the Coalition of Concerned Teachers have expressed satisfaction with negotiations ongoing to address their concerns.

The teacher unions were up in arms against government for failing to pay their allowances and salaries in arrears. They also want bottlenecks with their second tier pension scheme resolved.


The teachers after a spirited national demonstration in the Ashanti regional capital Kumasi last week called off their strike action to allow for negotiations at the National Labor Commission.


The NLC therefore scheduled that the leaders of the teachers’ fronts together with relevant government agencies and ministries appear before it on Wednesday for deliberations.


Speaking to Ultimate Radio after the meetings National president of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ernest Opoku said, “The meeting went on “successfully” with all parties present for the fruitful discussion.”


He added however that several issues could not come to a conclusion and have been rescheduled for next week.


Giving highlights of the meeting, he outlined that concerns regarding their second tier worker based pension scheme had been referred to the national tripartite committee with the reason that the concerns of the teachers are shared by all public sector workers.

Regarding transfer arrears he told ultimate radio, “the GES has agreed to collate data of those who have gone on transfers and have made the promise to pay the money by the end of July”


He said the issues about their incremental allowances which have been in arrears since 2011 will be discussed next week as the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has been tasked to draw a road map for the payment to be effected.


He was also positive that government’s decision to pay only three months of accumulated salaries would not materialize.


He said the teachers had been asked to fill validation forms which would be collated and sent to the Controller and Accountant General’s office for onward submission and payment by the finance ministry.


? ?He however emphasized that though the coalition was satisfied with the pace of work, they will not “entertain anything short of that.”


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