Leadership of National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has declared strike to press home their demands.
At the news conference held on September 5, 2019 in Accra, President of NAGRAT, Eric Angel Carbonu said:, “leadership informs the public and indeed all teachers that from today September 5, 2019 we have decided to lay down our tools; NAGRAT here declares a strike”.
According to him, all teachers in schools that have already re-opened should lay down their tools and stay out of school but those that are yet to re-open, must stay out of the schools when school re-opens.
He directed all teachers to be steadfast in this industrial action for the government to listen to their concerns which include : Difficulty in reinstating: He said some teachers who have completed their study leave with or without pay, have had difficulty being reinstated into the Ghana Education Service, (GES) and even when they are reinstated, they are still being paid their pre-study leave salaries.
Delay in promotion interview: Service condition of the GES and indeed the Public Service, grants that a teacher is eligible for interview after serving on his or her current rank for four (4) years.
Promotion letters: ‘Today’, teachers who have been promoted as far back as three (3) years ago have not been given their promotion letters indicating the effective date of their promotions, this will affect their chance of progressing in the GES among other issues.
Mr. Carbonu also raised matters concerning additional responsibilities, indicating that “teachers who have additional responsibilities besides their teaching duties have not had their responsibility allowances restored after they were promoted. Some teachers have suffered this problem for the past three years”.
They have also called on the Public Services Commission to remove the obstacles it has placed on the path of the Ghana Education Service and accused the government of suspending its obligation of paying salary arrears, “yet, day in day out, new arrears are being created.
The promotion issues and salary upgrade problems, mentioned earlier, have created another batch of salary arrears.
“Teachers who for one reason or the other have had their salaries stopped, will have to live without being paid for months despite the fact that they report regularly to duty.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is clear that the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) being operated by the Public Service Commission is incompatible with the scheme of service of the GES”.
Story filed by Edzorna Francis Mensah
