Teachers Union Sets Deadline for Allowance Negotiations Amidst Growing Discontent

The Teachers and Educational Workers Union of TUC (GH) has given the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission until August 7, 2023, to complete negotiations for the payment of the Continuous Professional and Skills Development Allowance to Non-Teaching Staff of the Ghana Education Service. The resolution was made during a meeting of the TEWU of TUC (GH) Management Committee on July 26, 2023. A communique issued in Accra, signed by Mr. Mark Dankyira Korankye, the General Secretary of TEWU, warned that if the Commission fails to meet the deadline, the Union should not be held responsible for any action taken by aggrieved members.

The Union expressed disappointment with the delays in negotiations for the allowance payment and highlighted that their teaching counterparts in the Ghana Education Service had already received their share of the allowance in November 2020. Despite the Minister of Education’s prior announcement of approval for both teaching and non-teaching staff, the Commission’s handling of the negotiations had caused significant delays, leading the Union to declare a strike on January 5, 2022.

Following the strike, the Union was invited to the negotiation table, but after eighteen months, the issue remains unresolved. The TEWU of TUC (GH) leadership believes that the Commission’s actions may be a deliberate effort to delay payment to non-teaching staff, causing disaffection among the members and raising concerns about the Union’s leaders’ effectiveness.

To address the situation, the Union set the August 7 deadline for the completion of negotiations, emphasizing that further delays would not be tolerated. The Union’s leadership remains committed to advocating for the rights and welfare of its members and expects prompt action from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to resolve the Continuous Professional and Skills Development Allowance matter for the non-teaching staff of the Ghana Education Service.