Teacher Unions Dissatisfied Over FWSC’s Call For Revision Of Labour Law

The striking teacher unions have expressed their discontent with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) suggesting a review of the labor law.

The Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) jointly declared a nationwide strike on Wednesday, March 20. They cite the government’s failure to address their inadequate conditions of service as the reason for this action.

The unions have highlighted key grievances such as the continuous withholding of teachers’ salaries, changes in timetables without union consultation, and delays in distributing laptops to teachers.

The FWSC has advised the three teacher unions to rethink their choice. Benjamin Arthur, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FWSC, conveyed astonishment at the unions’ move to strike, emphasizing that discussions aimed at addressing the teachers’ requests were still ongoing.

He indicated that the actions of the three unions had caught them off guard and remarked that it was inappropriate for a small group to convene and announce a strike. He then urged stakeholders “to begin vigorously to change our labour laws.”

Herbert Ako Forson, the General Secretary of the CCT, condemned the statements made by the FWSC CEO during an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Wednesday.

He stressed that the remarks were disrespectful to the unions.

“I am very disappointed in Eng. Arthur for calling on stakeholders to start the process of revising the labour laws. He is very aware, and he knows what happened in Koforidua… Negotiations began in Koforidua; it didn’t end well. You waited, then yesterday at 8 pm, we received letters from Fair Wages inviting us to come and continue with the negotiation. Is that fair? He is calling for fairness. He also mentioned that three people would go and sign. This is an affront to us; this is disrespect to us. I mean, it is not fair, you don’t have to use such statements,” he stated.

Angel Carbonu, the President of NAGRAT, also voiced disappointment in the comments made by the FWSC CEO, expressing, “I am very disappointed in the choice of words of the [FWSC CEO].”