Kumasi: Teachers snub “useless“strike; say it is for leaders’ selfish agenda

Teachers in schools in the Kumasi Metropolis and its adjoining municipalities and districts in the Ashanti region have snubbed the nationwide strike declared by three teacher unions, describing it as “useless”, MyNewsGh.com reports.

Kumasi-based Angel FM’s reporters who toured dozens of schools this morning on day one that the strike took effect reported that teachers were in classrooms and going about their normal duties, this portal monitored on Monday.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) however insist that their nationwide strike is in full force.

The three teacher unions say their industrial action is in connection with the failure of the government to pay some “legacy arrears” owed some of its members as far back as 2012 to 2016.

“In line of this development, we, the Ghana National Association of Teachers, National Association of Graduated Teachers, Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana, do, hereby, declare today, a strike action by our members effective Monday, 9 December 2019”, GNAT President, Philipa Larsson announced at a joint press conference held in Accra on Thursday, 5 December 2019.

But teachers who spoke with Angel FM reporters said they couldn’t be bothered by the strike action because they believe, “it is only to further the selfish interests of the leaderships of the unions”.

“Anytime that they declare a strike, the government calls them and gives them something to call it off; they are only using us to champion a useless selfish course, other than that, there is no need declaring a strike action when they fully know that government had paid a majority of the teachers”, they said.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has however described the strike action as “shocking and a gross abuse of the principle of good faith and good working relations which have been established and nurtured over the years.”

In a statement issued on Thursday, 5 December 2019, the GES said: “The legacy arrears were as a result of the policy by the then-government which allowed the payment of three months of salary arrears owed any employee in the public service. All other arrears were to be justified and validated by the Audit Service before payment.”

Source:MyNewsGh.com/Teddy Brown Onimbede/2019