The Director of Grievances and Negotiations at the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Professor Charles Adabor Oppong has stated that negotiation between the government’s team and the striking teacher unions could not take place on March 27 because the latter failed to call off the strike.Â
According to him, Wednesday’s meeting, which was at the instance of the National Labour Commission was supposed to discuss the way forward after the teachers have suspended the industrial action.
However, the representatives of the teacher union who attended the meeting informed the government’s team that they have not exhausted procedures required to call off the strike.
“The teacher unions have not called off the strike and so we cannot continue to engage them. If indeed they are able to call off the strike, we will meet them to negotiate. It is also surprising to us that the teacher unions have not complied with the directive of the Labour Commission,” Professor Oppong said.
It would be recalled that the National Labour Commission on March 26, directed aggrieved teachers to call off their strike and meet with government on their grievances within twenty-four hours.
The Commission also directed government, led by the Minister of Education Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum to, within two months, distribute the teachers’ laptops to them.
The National Labour Commission gave the directive after its meeting with representatives of the striking teachers and the government.
However, the meeting could not be held because the strike is still on.
By Daniel Opoku
government through the ministries of education and employment and labour relations has declined to negotiate with the striking teachers.
According to government, the teachers have refused to call off the strike, hence they cannot hold any further negotiations with them.
the teacher unions are on strike demanding negotiations on conditions of service, unpaid salaries of some teachers and the need for a scheme of service for the ghana education service.