Ghana teacher unions call off strike after court order

A three-day strike by three teacher unions in Ghana has been called off at the last minute.

This follows an order secured by the National Labour Commission at an Accra High Court on Wednesday compelling them to discontinue the industrial action.

In a statement dated December 12, 2019, the unions said the decision was arrived at “on advice of our lawyers in consequence to the court order dated on Wednesday, December 11, 2019… and as law-abiding citizens, we do so forthwith”.

The statement which was signed by the General Secretary of GNAT Thomas T Musah further added: “We hereby wish to inform our members to call off the nationwide strike action forthwith”.

Though the unions claim they are yet to be served with copies of the court order, they are in touch with their lawyers to obtain copies and advice them accordingly.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) on December 5, 2019, declared a strike after a series of failed engagements with the government on Legacy Arrears incurred between 2012 and 2016.

The NLC, while describing the industrial action as illegal, accused the Unions of failing to notify the commission before embarking on their strike.

President of National Association of Graduate Teachers, Angel Carbonu reluctantly announced in an interview that the halting of the strike action in compliance with the directives of the court order.

“We are obeying the court order with a lot of pain in our heart but let me also state that this ex parte motion filed and the order that has been granted Labour Commission lasts for a period of ten days.

“The Labour Commission will have to prepare itself that after 10 days, it will have to repeat the notice. Other than that, for me, after that ten days, I am at liberty to call a strike action,” Carbonu said.

Turning down a scheduled meeting with the National Labour Commission, Mr. Carbonu, however, described the commission’s Executive Secretary, Ofosu Asamoah as a “political activist who has mistakenly found himself at the Labour Commission, doing active partisan politics”.

“Going forward, they should be prepared that in dealing with teacher unions they will have to seek orders from the court to do that and we will not be appearing before them”, the NAGRAT President added.

Source: Jonathan Ofori, Daily Mail GH