Ghana Labor Commission Directs Teachers to Call Off Strike

Ghana workers on the march.

The National Labour Commission (NLC) has  asked teachers to call off their strike and return to the negotiation table to resolve their grievances.

After a meeting with leaders of teacher unions and representatives of the government, led by the Minister of Finance, Mr Seth Terpker, in Accra Wednesday, the NLC ruled that a Working Group be established under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance to consider the issues in dispute and present a roadmap to the commission with clear timelines and assigned responsibilities.

According to a statement signed by Dr (Mrs) Bernice A. Welbeck, acting Executive Secretary of the commission, and issued in Accra yesterday, the Working Group should comprise representatives of teacher unions and the government.

The statement said the roadmap should be submitted to the commission not later than 12 noon on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 and that the parties should appear before the commission at 3 p.m. on the same day for the consideration and adoption of the roadmap.

In view of the commission’s intervention, the statement asked the teachers to call off their strike immediately, pursuant to Section 161 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651 and allow the Working Group to do its work and submit its report to the commission.

Teachers across the country withdrew their services from last Tuesday over unresolved grievances, including unpaid allowances.

The action was declared by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) at a joint press conference held at the Teachers Hall in Accra last Monday.