Four teacher unions in Ghana have declared a nationwide strike over the government’s failure to meet the June 30 deadline they gave it for the payment of their Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).
The unions are the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT).
“We have been compelled under the current circumstances to publicly communicate to Ghanaians on our intention to go on strike having gone passed the June 30 deadline we gave government for the payment of Cost of Living Allowance. Consequently, we have decided to embark on strike from today, Monday, July 4, 2022. By this, we are informing the general public that we are withdrawing services in all the pre-tertiary education institutions. This includes teaching and non-teaching staff,” leadership of the unions declared at a joint presser on Monday, July 4, 2022.
General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah, who read the statement said the teacher groups are disappointment at government’s failure to heed their calls.
The teachers are fighting for the payment of between 20% and 30% of their salaries as a Cost of Living Allowance.
This is coming at a time managers of the economy appear to have buckled under the weight of an increasingly tighter economic environment and the nation is poised to return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance, for the 18th time.
Notice of the imminent return to the Bretton Woods institution for fiscal support was contained in a communique from the Ministry of Information, indicating that with the full backing of cabinet, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, has authorised the Ministry of Finance to “commence formal engagements with the IMF, inviting the Fund to support an economic program put together by the government of Ghana.”
