The Colleges of Education Non Teaching Staff Association of Ghana, has intimated that they are ready to engage with authorities in charge over effort to halt its strike actions and attend to its demands.

According to the Association, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission invited its members for a meeting over its impending indefinite strike which took effect today, April 11, 2022. The Association noted that even though the invitation came late, they will still engage to find an amicable solution to get their demands attended to.

Speaking for the group, Fredrick Fokuo Yeboah, President of the Association disclosed that the strike action which the union undertook is to bring to attention its demands to the government.

“We are striking on five issues. One is wrong placement of our first degree holders, the second one is non payment of migration arears and exclusion of payment of generic allowance, partial payment of office holding allowances and non payment of Interim Market Premium arears for the non-teaching staff of colleges of education in Ghana.”
Fredrick Fokuo Yeboah

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Detailing the reason why the Association decided to embark on a strike now, Mr. Fokuo Yeboah elucidated that the Association issued a notice of strike in January but the National Labor Commission intervened with the promise of helping find an amicable solution to these issues as such it had to call it off. However, Mr. Yeboah stated that the Association has been to the National Labor Commission to engage on some occasion but there hasn’t been a solution yet.

“We went there on two, three occasions and we realized that government is not taking us serious. Anytime we go to National Labor Commission to give updates, you will see only the lawyer for Fair Wages and Salaries Commission coming to ask for extension without giving the step that they have taken to solve our situation. So, this is what has resulted in this strike.”
Fredrick Fokuo Yeboah

There’s no progress

Fredrick Yeboah asserted that despite the engagements, the Association has seen no progress. He disclosed that the Association was awaiting a response in March but it’s April and they haven’t been attended to so, they felt the need to take an immediate action.

“We met in February, especially on the first degree issues to find answers to it and then it was made known to us that data had to be collected from some public universities to find out whether the case being made is substantiated with evidence.”
Fredrick Fokuo Yeboah

This came after the group served notice of an indefinite strike on April 6, 2022 over Conditions of Service of the Colleges of Education Non-Teaching Staff which comprises of workers such as accounting personnel, administrative personnel, security, laborers, artisans and other staff. They are protesting among others over the non-payment of Interim Market Premium and allowances. The Association commenced the strike but might bring the strike to a halt depending on how its engagement with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission will turn out.