The Council of State has invited representatives of teacher unions to a meeting on Friday, October 9, to deliberate on concerns related to the ongoing industrial action by pre-tertiary teachers. The meeting, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Council’s Secretariat, will address key issues, including promotions, deprived-area allowances and the Collective Bargaining Agreement under negotiation between the unions and the Ministry of Education.
According to an invitation signed on behalf of the Chairman of the Council’s Economic and Social Development Committee, HRM Drolor Rosso Adamtey I, the engagement is intended to give Council members an opportunity to hear directly from the unions about their grievances. The meeting comes as the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department completes the processing of promotion records for 52,000 teachers ahead of verification for salary adjustments and the payment of arrears.
Controller and Accountant-General Kwasi Agyei disclosed that the Ghana Education Service (GES) had submitted the necessary promotion input forms after processing the affected teachers’ records on the government payroll system. He explained that by 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, the department had processed the promotions of all 52,000 teachers and received the corresponding input forms.
The exercise follows a September 28 directive from Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu instructing the GES Director-General to submit data on promoted teachers to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to facilitate the payment of their salaries and outstanding arrears.
Delays in promotion-related payments have been among the major concerns raised by the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG). The three unions embarked on industrial action over unresolved issues relating to promotions, conditions of service and deprived-area allowances.
The Council of State’s engagement is expected to provide a platform for discussions on the outstanding concerns as stakeholders work towards resolving the industrial dispute.
