Tension over COLA Meeting as Government prepares 15 solid Intellectuals to battle Teacher Unions today

EducationGhana| July 12|Tension over COLA Meeting as Government prepares 15 solid Intellectuals to battle Teachers Unions today:

The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has invited the Team of Government and Organized Labour institutions to a meeting over the 20% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).

The meeting which was scheduled for Tuesday 12th July 2022 at 2:00 pm at the Ministry of Health (Conference Room) for commencement of negotiations on the demand by Organized Labour has featured a total of fifteen (15) stakeholders of the Government Team to meet thirty-two (32) stakeholders of Organized Labour.

According to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), this meeting invitation came following the emergency meeting held between the Government Team and Organised Labour on 8th July 2022 to discuss the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).

On 4th July 2022, the four (4) Organized Labour Unions (the 4 major Teacher Unions): GNAT, NAGRAT, TEWU and CCT-GH jointly declared an indefinite nationwide strike.

The teacher Unions said the Government of Ghana is not honouring its promise of paying the 20% Condition of Living Allowance (COLA) to teachers and hence their decision to withdraw their Services.

The Unions leaders explained that all efforts and calls for the government to implement the 20% COLA for teachers in Ghana have fallen on deaf ears.

They also expressed their displeasure over this insensitivity of the government regarding their demand.

Organized Labour also explained that the demand for COLA is influenced by the high level of inflation in the country: the incessant skyrocketing prices of fuel, goods and services, have eroded the already woefully so-called salary increase granted us as expressed in 4% and 7% for 2021 and 2022 respectively.

GNAT, NAGRAT, TEWU and CCT-GH again said, inflation in the country is currently 27.6% and continues to escalate ad infinitum: only God knows when this will abate.

“We are very much appalled at the inept attitude of the government relative to our call for COLA. We have severally on different platforms and times made this call which fell on deaf ears of the government.”

“We wish to unambiguously express our grave concern of the excruciating pain of poverty that has been bestowed on the Ghanaian teacher and Education Workers and leaves us with an inauspicious state of affairs. The members of the Unions in education can no longer bear the hardship. Even more so, we reject the inequality of salaries in the public service of this country. ”

The Unions said they have been compelled under the current circumstances to publicly communicate to Ghanaians their intention to go on strike having gone passed the June 30, 2022 deadline given to the government for the payment of Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).

“By this, we are informing the general public that, we are withdrawing all our services in all the Pre-tertiary educational space. (Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff)”

Below are the full list of representative institutions, Unions and Associations published by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC)

GOVERNMENT TEAM
S/N	INSTITUTION	NO. OF REPS
1	Ministry of Employment And Labour Relations (MELR)	4
2	Fair Wages And Salaries Commission (FWSC)	1
3	Ministry of Finance (MoF)	5
4	Ministry of Education (MoE)	2
5	Ministry of National Security	1
6	Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD)	1
7	Ghana Education Service (GES)	1
	TOTAL	15

 

ORGANIZED LABOUR TEAM
S/N	UNION/ASSOCIATION	NO. OF REPS
1	Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC)	2
2	Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL)	1
3	Forum of Public Sector Associations/Unions (FORUM)	2
4	Public Service Workers’ Union (PSWU)	2
5	Health Service Workers’ Union (HSWU)	2
6	Construction and Building Materials Workers Union (CBMWU)	1
7	Teacher and Education Workers Union (TEWU)	2
8	Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG)	1
9	Colleges of Education Non-Teaching Staff Association of Ghana (CENTSAG)	1
10	Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT)	2
11	The coalition of Concerned Teacher Ghana (CCT-GH)	1
12	National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT)	1
13	Ghana Federation of Disabled Workers’ Union Accra Rehabilitation Centre	1
14	Ghana Registered Nurses’ Association (GRNA)	2
15	Ghana Medical Association (GMA)	2
16	Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) Accra	1
17	Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG)	2
18	University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG)	1
19	Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG)	1
20	Senior Staff Association – Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG)	1
21	Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA)	1
22	Technical University Administrators Association of Ghana (TUAAG)	1
23	Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG)	1
	TOTAL	32

 

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