Teachers strike: Richard Ahiagbah slams Education Ministry, NLC for failling to be proactive with matters

The Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Richard Ahiagbah has blamed the National Labor Commission and the Ministry of Education for failing to take proactive measures to prevent the ongoing strike of the teacher unions.

Three teacher unions which include the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Ghana National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) declared a strike due to unsatisfactory conditions of service.

The teacher unions accused the government for failing to meet their collective agreement since 2023.

Reacting to this on his X, Richard Ahiagbah stated that the strike is a disappointing situation that could have been avoided.

“The ongoing Teacher Union strike is a disappointing situation that could have been avoided. It is disheartening to see that the following parties failed to take proactive measures to prevent it” He said in a statement.

“The National Labor Commission was aware of the looming threat of a strike but failed to take necessary action to avert it. The Ministry of Education, which has been doing an incredible job under President Akufo-Addo, cannot be excused for dropping the ball on this matter” Part of the statement read.

He also described the action of the teacher unions as unfair to the pupils.

“While we respect the Teacher Unions’ right to strike, it is unfair to leverage their pupils’ education to drive their bargain. This is excessive and unfair to the pupils.” He added.

READ THE STATEMENT BELOW

The ongoing Teacher Union strike is a disappointing situation that could have been avoided. It is disheartening to see that the following parties failed to take proactive measures to prevent it:

a. The National Labor Commission was aware of the looming threat of a strike but failed to take necessary action to avert it.

b. The Ministry of Education, which has been doing an incredible job under President Akufo-Addo, cannot be excused for dropping the ball on this matter.

c. While we respect the Teacher Unions’ right to strike, it is unfair to leverage their pupils’ education to drive their bargain. This is excessive and unfair to the pupils.

Teachers must accept the call to return to the classroom while their grievances are being addressed. The government has done a lot for teachers, including terminating the punitive 3-month policy inherited from the NDC and introducing the Professional Teacher Allowance of GHC 1,200 for professional and GHC 600 for non-professional teachers. This avoidable deadlock must not be allowed to taint the government’s unprecedented investment, totaling GHC 114.5 billion, in the educational sector.

Source: Elvisanokyenews