CETAG maintains firm stance on strike, cautions against salary freeze of members

Members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) continue to stand resolute in their industrial action to press on the government to address their terms of service.Despite ongoing attempts to engage with authorities for a resolution, CETAG has prolonged the strike, citing the government's failure to meet their demands.At a press conference in Kumasi, CETAG issued a strong warning against any attempt to halt the salaries of striking members, cautioning that, such actions would be met with legal consequences.Mr Prince Obeng-Himah, President of the Association who addressed journalists said the Association was emphasizing its commitment to safeguarding the rights of members and stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law in Ghana.The strike, which started on June 14, 2024, was triggered by the government's non-compliance with the National Labour Commission's (NLC) Arbitral Award Orders and agreed-upon service conditions.Mr Obeng-Himah reiterated that the strike would persist until the necessary actions were taken by the authorities.'The Union wishes to notify the employer that until it complies with all the outstanding arbitration awards by NLC, the Union shall never call off its ongoing strike action,' he noted.He criticized the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and NLC for spreading misinformation, particularly regarding the alleged payment of GHS199 million in arrears for Book and Research Allowance for the 2022/2023 academic year and clarified that, no such payment had been disbursed to CETAG members.Mr Obeng-Himah refuted claims made by some principals of colleges of education that affiliate universities would conduct quizzes and examinations for students regardless of their attendance in lectures.He also clarified that students must adhere to attendance policies, and any breach of these policies may lead to legal action.According to him, the second misinformation being circulated by some principals of colleges of education to students was that the affiliate universities shall administer quizzes and examinations for the students, whether the students were instructed by the lecturers or not.This information, he said, was entirely erroneous because according to the attendance policy of all the affiliate universities, a student cannot sit for an examination if he or she missed lectures/classes for more than twenty-one (21) days.'CETAG is using this platform to advise students, principals, and affiliate universities that any attempt to contravene the class attendance policy shall be met with legal action by any stakeholder in the education sector,' he warned.He reiterated the validity of their strike action and affirmed that it would persist until all outstanding arbitration awards were fulfilled.Source: Ghana News Agency