The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has called off its strike. This decision was announced in a statement released on Tuesday, August 20.
The association has given the government up to October to resolve all the issues raised, warning that if the government does not adhere to the agreed road map, the association will resume the strike at the end of October 2024.
The breakthrough agreement comes after weeks of intense negotiations amidst the strike, which started on June 14. The deal, which will be ratified by CETAG’s council within the week, paves the way for the end of the prolonged strike that has disrupted academic activities in all 46 colleges of education.
CETAG initiated the strike in response to the government’s failure to implement agreed-upon arbitral awards and improve conditions of service for its members.
In the statement, CETAG revealed that during an emergency virtual National Council meeting held on August 20, 2024, members unanimously agreed to call off the strike with immediate effect.
Calling Off The Strike
In calling off the strike, parts of the statement read:
1. The frozen July 2024 and August 2024 salaries shall be paid together at the end of August 2024.
2. That the offline migration of the staff shall be completed at the end of August 2024.
3. The offline migration data shall be sent to all 46 colleges of education for verification by individual staff before processing by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) in September 2024.
4. That, payment after migration will reflect in October 2024 salaries, and that the parties shall meet to agree on the payment plan for all arrears immediately.
5. That, the nomenclature to be used for migrating senior members of the teaching staff shall be assistant lecturer, lecturer, senior lecturer, associate professor, and professor in line with the affiliate universities’ scheme of service.
6. That, compensation for all-year-Round work done in 2022 shall be paid by the end of August 2024, and 7. That, all holders of researched master’s degrees shall be migrated as assistant lecturers,” it added.
The leadership of CETAG is demanding migration to university status, which the government has agreed to do.
According to the leadership of CETAG, they took the decision to call off the strike based on the commitment they received from the office of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
“We are pleased that the government has finally listened to our concerns and agreed to meet our demands.
“We believe this agreement marks a new beginning in our relationship with the government and paves the way for a more collaborative approach to addressing the challenges facing our sector.”
Following nearly two months of strike action, students and staff at Ghana’s colleges of education can now anticipate a return to normalcy.
