National Labour Commission Directs CETAG to Call Off Strike and Appear for Hearing

The National Labour Commission (NLC) has ordered the College of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) to halt its ongoing strike and attend a hearing before the Commission. The Association’s leadership had failed to appear for the scheduled hearing on August 2, 2023.

The NLC has set a new date for the hearing, directing CETAG to appear before the Commission on August 9, 2023. The Commission emphasized the need for CETAG to call off its industrial action while engagements are ongoing.

Prior to the hearing, CETAG had informed the NLC that it had no issue with the Commission and, therefore, would not attend the hearing. However, the NLC has requested their presence to address the ongoing situation.

The industrial action began on August 1, 2023, as CETAG protested the government’s failure to implement “negotiated” conditions of service for its members. The negotiations had taken place in 2021, involving CETAG, the Government, and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC). The NLC intervened with Compulsory Arbitration in response to a previous strike by CETAG in January 2023.

After the Compulsory Arbitration, the NLC issued an Arbitral Award Order on May 2, 2023, granting CETAG members a new condition of service effective from January 1, 2023. However, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has allegedly not acted on the FWSC’s letter and the NLC’s Arbitral Orders, which should have led to the implementation of the negotiated agreement.

In light of the government’s alleged inaction, CETAG members decided to withdraw their services from all 46 Colleges of Education, with a deadline for the government to honor the terms of the negotiated agreement by July 31, 2023. The NLC is now urging CETAG to engage in further dialogue and suspend the strike during the ongoing negotiations