Students Threaten To Pack Home Following One Month CETAG Strike

Students of Colleges of Education have exhausted their patience and have threatened to pack out of campus after a whole month strike declared by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG).

According to the students, there seems to be no headway anytime soon.

They do not understand why they will be on campus when there are no teachers to guide them.

Already, there are some reports to the effect that some of them have already packed their luggage and are on their way home.

In their frustration, some of the students are asking government to resolve the grievances with their teachers so they will return to the lecture laws.

Members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) declared a strike on October 29 over poor conditions of service.

The striking teachers want issues on market premium and research allowance to be addressed by government.

But the government has described the strike as illegal and has resolved not to pay them for the period they were out of the office.

It was however committed to sit with CETAG members to find an amicable solution to the problem

On Wednesday, the impasse got worse after members of CETAG refused to sit with government until their salaries have been paid.

President of CETAG Prince Obeng-Himah, who addressed a press in the Ashanti Region, said the directive to freeze the salaries of its members is procedurally wrong.

He told Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor they will honour the summons by the Labour Commission which has been scheduled for tomorrow but will disregard any move to meet government until their salaries are paid.

“We have been clear and we need to be consistent that unless the issue of the frozen salary is settled we will not sit down to have any discussion with any government agency,” he said.

He said they will be going to the Labour Commission with a strong legal team to tell them their story, insisting they have followed the right procedures before announcing their strike.

The strike is having a toll on academic work in schools of education across the country.

Speaking to Joy News later in the day, President of CETAG Prince Obeng-Himah, said they are ready to forfeit their Christmas salaries for this struggle.

There has been suggestion the striking teachers will return to work in order to receive their salaries for Christmas but Obeng-Himah said it is better for them to forfeit their Christmas salaries today and enjoy during retirement than to take their Christmas salaries and suffer later.

He said they are ready to go the full hog

---MyJoyOnline