he National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has intensified pressure on government to address all their grievances by October 13, or they will declare a nationwide strike.
Regional chapters of the Association have begun taking independent steps to ensure a full-scale strike if government fails to pay their annual incremental credits, transfer grants and travel and transport allowances before this date.
NAGRAT had planned to leave the classrooms of secondary schools across the country earlier this week, but a timely intervention by government and the National Labour Commission (NLC) prevented that from happening.
In the Brong Ahafo Region, the graduate teachers say government will feel the full force of their anger if government reneges on a promise to settle all arrears.
Regional Chairman, Jacob Anaba, said the NLC has failed to ensure that government meets its commitment to the graduate teachers.
“[NLC] has not written a strong-worded letter to government for failing to meet its commitment. [The NLC] has failed so the best place is the courts,” he said, indicating plans by the teachers in the region to seek redress at the courts.
In the Central Region, Chairman of NAGRAT, Bright Bedzrah, said they should not be blamed if they withdraw their services.
“Technically, we don’t have a condition of service”, said Mr Bedzrah, adding that plans to get government to change an outmoded Collective Bargaining Agreement have hit the rocks.
“We need to work with a condition. That is a good relationship between an employer and an employee. If the condition is not there, anybody can do anything and go scot free. Vehicle maintenance allowances is also a right in the condition of service for teachers and by extension all workers of the Ghana Education Service,” he said.
The Greater Accra Region branch of NAGRAT has also threatened to go on strike over the same grievances while NAGRAT members in the Volta Region has already declared an indefinite strike.
Meanwhile, NAGRAT is not the only teacher association pushing government for the release of their allowance.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is asking its members across the country to remain calm as it works with government for the release of incremental credit arrears.
A statement from GNAT indicated government owes them GHC 100 million in incremental credit arrears for 2011 and 2012.
The teachers say the incremental credit arrears are an integral part of salaries for every Ghana Education Service (GES) employee.
However, GNAT says it is confident of receiving the credit arrears by end of next year because the GES has factored the money in its 2016 financial estimates.
Source: myjoyonline
