The Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations has announced that the leadership of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) has agreed to suspend its strike for negotiations to resume.
Deputy Minister of Employment and Labor Relations, Bright Wireko Brobbey, disclosed that this decision was arrived at after a meeting was held between the leadership of TEWU, the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations, the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education today, Wednesday January 5, 2021.
“We have had a very constructive engagement. Very high-powered delegation from their employers that is, the GES and the Ministry. TEWU also brought their chairman, their General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary”.
Bright Wireko Brobbey
The Deputy Minister intimated that during the meeting, they deliberated and looked at the issues at hand and in the end TEWU agreed as tradition demands, to go back to their National Executive Council to report what has transpired.
Mr. Brobbey explained that it was necessary to have the meeting to suspend the strike action because a committee has already been put in place looking at the issues at hand. He mentioned that the Ghana Education Service will have an engagement with TEWU on how best to resolve the issue as well.
“So, they have assured us that is what they are going to do. By close of day, we should see the strike action over. GES has also promised that once that is going to happen, they are then going to meet tomorrow morning and TEWU has been invited to come and meet them for the committee to start work and look at how best to go about the issue and if there is any payment that is due them it will be effected.”
Bright Wireko Brobbey
Act swiftly to reduce NLC burden
Meanwhile, the National Labor Commission (NLC) has implored government to act swiftly in order to reduce the burden on the commission as far as labor agitations are concerned.
The Executive Secretary of the National Labor Commission (NLC), Mr. Ofosu Asamoah indicated that government must also see to it that it carries out its mandate so that the commission “can also take a breather”.
“We are hard on the government as a commission but we are not able to come out for people to know the kind of pressure we exert on the government.”
Mr. Ofosu Asamoah
The National Labor Commission (NLC) further admonished government to resolve the issues with the Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) to ensure calm.
The Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) announced withdrawal of their services from today, January 5, 2022. Speaking at a presser on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, the General Secretary of TEWU, Mark Denkyira Korankye, stated that the over 35, 000 members were withdrawing their services to demand the payment of 600 cedis each for professional development allowance.
However, the strike action has been suspended because various authorities and leaders have called for deliberations to be held on how best to resolve the matter at hand to ensure smooth running of the operations of the Union.
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