NAGRAT, GNAT lace boots to face gov't over conditions of service

The Ghana national association of graduate teachers says it feels cheated and deceived by government.

The association together with the coalition of concerned teachers last month embarked on a series of industrial actions concerning poor conditions of service.

The teachers were demanding incremental allowances, transfer grants, resolution of bottle necks concerning their 2nd tier pension payments among others.

The National Labor Commission (NLC) arbitrated a negotiation between the two teacher fronts and the Education Ministry.

President of NAGRAT, Christian Addai Poku however says the group is disappointed as government has failed to implement all its assurances.

He indicated that the association was nearly tricked into signing a document which supposedly was a collation of transfer grant arrears since 2010 when they realized the forms covered only 2014.

He expressed disappointment with the Director General of Education who promised to get back to them after his attention was drawn to the act he was believed to have spearheaded.

He indicated that the ministry promised to settle their transfer grant arrears by the end of June, a promise which has not been honored.

The National Labor Commission which arbitrated the negotiations however declined speaking on any concerns until the teachers association officially wrote a complaint to it.

Its Executive Secretary, Dr Bernice A. Welbeck, told Ultimate Radio, she only heard the complaints in the media and thus had no comments on the commission’s stance.

Their counterparts the Ghana National Association of Teachers GNAT have also given government a fourteen day ultimatum to address similar concerns or face their wrath.

Responding to the issues . however, the Education ministry said it didn’t know of any meeting that ever went on with the GNAT at which any fourteen day ultimatum was given government.

Public Relations Officer of the ministry Paul Krampah told Ultimate Radio, the “ministry had only met POTAG over the week and not GNAT as its leadership had put out in the media.