The Executive Secretary of Ghana’s National Labour Commission (NLC), Ofosu Asamoah, has strongly urged the government to take action against the members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) who have embarked on an unlawful strike.
This standoff has seen CETAG representatives from all 46 training colleges abstain from their duties since August 1. Their action is rooted in what they assert as the government’s disregard for the National Labour Commission’s Arbitral Award and the mutually agreed terms of employment that were settled upon since May 2, 2023.
Despite repeated notices sent to the Ministry of Finance, the agreed-upon negotiations have not yet been implemented, leading to the continued impasse.
In an interview with journalists, Mr. Asamoah stessed that stringent measures should be taken against CETAG members for their involvement in an unlawful industrial action. He strongly criticized their failure to reconsider their course of action in the face of advisory counsel, marking a concerning lack of responsiveness on their part.
“The Commission has told you, don’t go, and you went, and it says stop what you are doing, and you say you won’t. Defying the orders of the Commission is an unlawful act. The Commission will have to resort to the court to compel them to go back to the classrooms if they still proceed on the strike. And then their employers will also have the right to punish them for proceeding with this illegal strike. Two wrongs do not make a right. The fact that the employer was in default doesn’t mean that you should also do that,” he said.
The Deputy Minister of Education in Charge of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Gifty Twum Ampofo, has made a passionate appeal to CETAG to reconsider their ongoing strike action and engage in meaningful negotiations with the government to resolve their concerns.
CETAG and NLC are expected to engage on August 16.
