🚨 TEACHER STRIKE: FWSC WARNS OF FURTHER ACTION AS FRIDAY DEADLINE LOOMS
THE TEACHER STRIKE REMAINS IN FORCE AS FWSC SEEKS A FRESH MANDATE TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS, WHILE GOVERNMENT WARNS OF FURTHER ACTION IF THE STRIKE IS NOT SUSPENDED BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9.
The teacher strike has entered another critical stage after Tuesday’s negotiations between the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the three major pre-tertiary teacher unions ended without an agreement.
The latest development has introduced a new layer to the standoff.
While the unions say they will not return to the classroom without a concrete agreement, the FWSC says further consultations and a fresh mandate may be required before negotiations can continue.
Meanwhile, the government is now warning that further action could follow if the teacher strike continues beyond Friday, October 9.
TEACHER STRIKE: TALKS END WITHOUT AN AGREEMENT
The latest round of negotiations took place on Tuesday, October 6, after government had asked the unions to engage the FWSC on their outstanding concerns.
The meeting involved the FWSC, GES, GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG.
According to the Ghana News Agency, the talks focused on outstanding arrears, particularly promotion-related payments, as well as other conditions of service. The parties agreed to reconvene, but no agreement was reached.
MyJoyOnline similarly reported that the nationwide teacher strike remained in force after the negotiations ended without an agreement.
READ RELATED RESOURCES HERE: TEACHER UNIONS STRIKE CONTINUES AFTER FWSC TALKS END WITHOUT AGREEMENT
TEACHER STRIKE: FWSC SAYS MORE CONSULTATIONS ARE NEEDED
FWSC Chief Executive Officer Dr George Smith-Graham has now explained why the negotiations stalled.
According to him, the Commission is operating under a transitional arrangement as Ghana prepares for the establishment of the Independent Public Emoluments Commission.
He said the current arrangement allows unions with expired conditions of service to identify and improve existing allowances, rather than undertake a comprehensive renegotiation of all conditions of service.
The major disagreement, according to Dr Smith-Graham, is that the teacher unions are seeking the introduction of a new allowance, which he says goes beyond the current transitional framework.
Citi Newsroom reported that the FWSC CEO said the Commission would nevertheless continue engaging the unions and hoped to conclude the negotiations by the end of the week.
READ RELATED RESOURCES HERE: TEACHER PROMOTION ARREARS: WHY HARUNA IDDRISU WENT TO CHECK THE WORK HIMSELF
TEACHER STRIKE: NAGRAT SAYS THE GOVERNMENT’S OFFER WAS NOT ENOUGH
The unions have also explained why they did not accept the proposal presented at Tuesday’s meeting.
NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba said the offer from FWSC fell far below what the unions were seeking.
He said the FWSC came to the meeting with a mandate covering only two of the three allowance-related issues presented by the unions.
NAGRAT subsequently submitted a counter-proposal and, according to Anaba, the FWSC indicated that it would return for a fresh mandate before another meeting could take place.
Speaking on Asempa FM, Anaba said the teacher strike would continue until the negotiations produced something concrete.
“Until we have concluded the negotiations and gotten something concrete on the table, we won’t go back to school.”
That position is significant because it shows that the immediate issue is no longer simply whether another meeting will be held.
The question is whether the next proposal will be sufficiently concrete for the unions to consider suspending the teacher strike.
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TEACHER STRIKE: GOVERNMENT WARNS OF FURTHER ACTION
The government’s position has also become firmer.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 7, Dr Smith-Graham said government is expected to take further action if the striking teachers do not suspend the industrial action by Friday, October 9.
3News reported that the FWSC CEO disclosed this while speaking on Ghana Akoma on Akoma FM.
Separately, 3News reported that FWSC has warned striking teachers of possible salary deductions if the industrial action continues beyond the government’s deadline.
This development raises the pressure on both sides.
For the unions, the teacher strike remains a means of pressing for unresolved concerns.
For government, continued disruption to teaching and learning is increasing pressure to bring the negotiations to a conclusion.
READ RELATED RESOURCES HERE: WHAT DO YOU THINK FRUSTRATES TEACHERS MOST IN THE PROFESSION TODAY?
TEACHER STRIKE: PROMOTION ARREARS REMAIN AT THE CENTRE
Despite the disagreement over conditions of service and allowances, promotion-related arrears remain one of the central issues behind the teacher strike.
Government has previously committed to processing outstanding promotion payments and placing affected teachers on their appropriate grades.
Education Minister Hon. Haruna Iddrisu has said government is committed to paying outstanding promotion arrears by October 30.
The government has also been validating promotion records to facilitate payment.
However, the unions have repeatedly said that assurances are not enough.
The Ashanti Regional Secretariats of GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG stated on October 6 that any decision to call off the strike must be backed by verifiable evidence of payment.
READ RELATED RESOURCES HERE: DO YOU FOLLOW THIS PROFESSIONAL CODE?
TEACHER STRIKE: WHAT ARE THE THREE MAJOR ISSUES?
The dispute continues to revolve around three broad areas.
First: Promotion placement and arrears.
Teachers who successfully completed promotion examinations are demanding placement on the appropriate salary grades and payment of outstanding arrears.
Second: The Collective Agreement.
The unions want negotiations on their expired conditions of service to be concluded.
Third: The Deprived Area Allowance.
The unions have demanded implementation of the 20 per cent allowance for teachers serving in deprived and hard-to-reach communities.
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TEACHER STRIKE: WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE FRIDAY?
The immediate focus is now on whether FWSC can obtain the mandate it says it needs and return to the negotiating table with a proposal acceptable to the unions.
NAGRAT says it is waiting for another invitation from government.
FWSC says it wants to continue engaging the unions.
Government, meanwhile, has indicated that the situation cannot continue indefinitely.
And teachers remain on strike.
READ RELATED RESOURCES HERE: TEACHER UNIONS STRIKE CONTINUES AFTER GOVERNMENT TALKS END WITHOUT AGREEMENT
TEACHER STRIKE: WILL WEDNESDAY BRING A BREAKTHROUGH?
For teachers, Wednesday’s developments will be closely watched.
The parties have already spent several rounds in negotiations, but the central disagreement remains unresolved.
The teacher strike therefore continues into another day, with both sides under increasing pressure to find common ground.
The unions want concrete commitments.
Government wants the classrooms reopened.
FWSC wants the negotiations brought to a conclusion.
And parents and learners are waiting for normal teaching and learning to resume.
READ RELATED RESOURCES HERE: BREAK TIME: 3 POWERFUL WAYS TEACHERS CAN STAY PROFESSIONAL
TEACHER STRIKE: SMART TEACHERS AVENUE WILL KEEP FOLLOWING THE STORY
For now, the teacher strike remains in force.
There is no confirmed agreement announcing the return of teachers to the classroom.
The latest position from NAGRAT is that teachers will not return until something concrete is placed on the table, while FWSC says it needs further consultations before negotiations can resume.
With Friday’s deadline now approaching, the next few days could be decisive.
Smart Teachers Avenue will continue following the negotiations and bringing teachers timely updates as new information becomes available.
SOURCE AND CREDIT: This report is based on current reporting from MyJoyOnline/JoyNews, 3News/TV3, Citi Newsroom, Ghana News Agency and Ghanaian Times, including statements attributed to FWSC CEO Dr George Smith-Graham and NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba. Smart Teachers Avenue has contextualised the independently reported developments for teachers and the wider education community.
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