The leadership of the various teacher and educational worker unions have declared a nationwide strike, effective July 4, 2022, over the government’s reluctance to settle their Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA).
At a press conference on Monday, the unions, namely Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH), announced their intention to lay down their tools in all pre-tertiary educational institutions.
The unions told the press that “they have severally called for the government’s grant of a 20% Cost-of-Living-Allowance to the Ghanaian worker generally and in particular to teachers and educational workers at pre-tertiary education level.”
However, according to them, the government has not heeded their several calls, including press conferences on February 24th, 2022 and May 20th, 2022 by unions in the pre-Tetiary-education sector and Forum of Public Sector Unions respectively, a “passionate” request read on May Day celebration, and a letter by the Secretary-General of the TUC to the President of the Republic on June 24th, 2022.
They added that “Our demand is influenced by the high level of inflation in the country; the incessant skyrocketing prices of fuel, goods, and services have eroded the already woefully low salary increases granted to us, as expressed in 4% and 7% for 2021 and 2022, respectively. Inflation in the country is currently at 27.6% and continues to escalate ad infinitum; only God knows when this will abate.”
“We have been compelled under the current circumstances to publicly communicate to Ghanaians our intention to go on strike, having gone past the June 30th, 2022 deadline we gave the government for the payment of Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). Consequently, we have decided to embark on strike action, effective today, Monday July 4, 2022,” the union declared.
