The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has declared that the Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) leadership has decided to call off the strike immediately in order for discussions to continue.
Following a meeting on Wednesday, January 5, between the leadership of the TEWU and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, the Ghana Education Service, and the Ministry of Education, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations Bright Wireko Brobbey told TV3’s Daniel Opoku, “We have had a very constructive engagement. A very high-powered delegation from their employers that is the GES and the Ministry.”
“TEWU also brought their chairman, their General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary. We have looked at the issues, bottom line is that, they have agreed it as tradition demands they have to go back to their NEC, they have to have that meeting to suspend the strike action because a committee has already been put in place looking at the issues at hand.
“So, they have assured us that is what they are going to do. By the close of the day, we should see the strike action over. GES has also promised that once that is going to happen, they are then going to meet tomorrow morning and TEWU has been invited to come and meet them for the committee to start work and look at how best to go about the issue and if there is any payment that is due them it will be affected.”
Over 35, 000 members of TEWU withdrew their services from today.
They were seeking 600 cedis for each professional development allowance.
At a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, January 4, TEWU General Secretary Mark Denkyira Korankye said that even if the schools reopened today, there would be no caterers to cook for the children.
“We went to the Ministry of Education, we have written and given all the justifications that are required.
“The Minister said we should liaise with the Ghana Education Service management, we are have engaged them. In fact, in the wisdom of the management of GES, they said let us put together a technical committee to look at the issues and give appropriate recommendations.
“This was supposed to have been complete in September last year. We are in January 2022, the committee has not even met let alone to make recommendations for its consideration. so we feel that this feet dragging is on purpose maybe to deny our members of this right and that this why we think that we must push and move to the next step where that one will compel management to sit and conclude any discussion with us on this matter.”
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SOURCE: 3NEWS
