Teachers Strike Again In 10 Days

The National Labour Commission (NLC) has secured a ten-day injunction restraining the three agitating teacher unions from continuing their industrial action.

But the agitated teacher unions say they will resume their strike after the 10-day injunction placed on them by the Court elapses.

Per the ruling of the High Court, the teachers are to heard back to the classroom immediately ending their four day old strike action.

The court’s directive comes after the teachers defied a ruling by the NLC to call off their strike with immediate effect.

The three unions — the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) have been on strike since Monday, December 9, but were forced to return to the classroom following the court injunction secured against their move.

Sack

Earlier, the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education had issued press releases describing the action as baseless, illegal and shocking.

The Chairman of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council, Michael Nsowah had called the bluff of the striking teachers insisting the government would replace them with fresh teachers searching for jobs.

Without mincing words, the former National Coordinator of the Ghana National School Feeding Programme said should the teachers continue their industrial action, the state will be forced to employ new teachers.

He said inasmuch as government will not dispute the rights of the teachers to protest, it will also not look on as such actions affect the academic work of students.

“We are still monitoring the situation and if they still continue with their strike action, we will then be forced to recruit new teachers,” Mr Nsowah said.

Force

But speaking to Accra-based Citi FM, President for NAGRAT, Angel Carbonu, said forcing teachers to return to the classroom without tackling the cause of the industrial action will have dire consequences on teaching in the country.

According to him, it will be wrong to assume that unhappy teachers will deliver as they are expected to do.

He said the union will, therefore, resume its strike after the deadline for the injunction to press home their demand and seriousness.

“Once there is a court order, teachers will return to the classrooms even though unwillingly. But there will be no further engagement with the NLC. Our members need their money and they deserve it so we will continue going on strike till we get it.

“The NLC will also have to continue going to court to keep us in the classrooms because if they fail to repeat the notice and the injunction ends, we will resume our strike,” he said.

Members of Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), have since Monday, boycotted their post after a series of failed engagements with the government on Legacy Arrears incurred between 2012 and 2016.

The NLC called for a meeting with representatives of the unions and other stakeholders to ascertain the way forward but the meeting on Tuesday never happened.

The NLC subsequently took the matter to court and secured an injunction restraining the teachers from continuing with the strike.