CETAG Strike

Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) may have a case in their grievances as published so far, even as the market premium should be very negotiable for the final say of the employer. They however should not consider perpetuating the illegality of withdrawing services and continuing to draw unearned salaries.

This is another form of corruption that this government is trying hard to control towards elimination. It is true that University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has unashamedly once set this example with an eight-month strike with salary. Doctors, nurses, second-cycle teachers etc had copied this over the years. However, enough is enough; let us begin to be reasonable and behave as intellectuals.

Any cause worthy of fighting goes with some amount of sacrifices rather than a further exploitation of the masses whose taxes and contributions educated most of us either partially or fully in the first place. Same goes for demonstrations in which lives and property are destroyed. The constitution guarantees only the strikes and demonstrations any day if negotiations have failed, but definitely it does not guarantee drawing their unearned salaries and destruction respectively.

In furtherance of this appropriate behavior and best practices the tertiary education lecturers should reconsider their refusal to research and publish whereas they are continuously paid their Research Allowances! It could be debated later, but so far Ghana is being deprived of the essential research for national development whereas our intellectuals are constantly supported with funds to do just that! Unfair, and it is time to address this too.

If education is the backbone of national development, it would be dependent on what her educated do with their education, but this attitude obviously is not what will be supportive or any development, if we are to be sincere. Please let's do right in this situation. May constructive understanding prevail in the ongoing negotiations for amicable settlement to help Ghana's educational environment.