Labour Minister optimistic teachers will suspend strike by close of day
The Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, is optimistic that the three teacher unions involved in the ongoing industrial action will suspend or call off their strike by the close of Friday, October 9.
The strike involves the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG).
The unions have raised concerns over the implementation of promotion-related salary adjustments, outstanding arrears, negotiations on a new collective agreement and the proposed deprived area allowance.
The industrial action has disrupted teaching and learning in public basic and second-cycle schools, prompting calls for an urgent resolution to prevent further losses in instructional time.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based JoyNews on Friday, the Minister said discussions with the unions had been positive, raising hopes of a breakthrough in efforts to resolve the dispute.
“It's been a very positive meeting, and I strongly believe that by the close of day, we should be able to have a solution to this industrial action,” he said.
The Minister said the discussions focused on three key issues: the collective agreement, outstanding promotion concerns and the deprived area allowance for teachers serving in underserved communities.
He expressed confidence that the discussions would produce a positive outcome, although he did not announce a final agreement or confirm that the unions had decided to suspend the strike.
“We had three issues on the table: collective agreement, we had promotion issue, and we also had an issue to do with the deprived area allowance,” he stated.