Teachers in public pre-tertiary schools across Ghana risk contempt of court over an ongoing strike action which has left students stranded.
This was after a labour court in the nation’s capital Accra on Wednesday declared the strike as illegal and ordered that they return to work.
The unions namely the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh) are on a sit-at-home strike demanding the immediate payment of their salary arrears.
They had earlier called the bluff of the National Labour Commission (NLC) directing them to return to the classrooms.
This compelled the commission to resort to the court to resolve the issue.
“So today the case was heard and court has granted that the strike is illegal and must be called off…The law prescribes that where negotiations are broken down and voluntary arbitration is not successful, any party wanting to resort to a strike must give written notice to other parties and the Commission as well but in this case the teachers did not give the notice to the GES, nor the Labour Commission”, explained Mr Andy Owusu, who is the Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission.
He further indicated, “the next thing is for them to comply or resort to the court of appeal or risk losing their salaries or their jobs”.
The Commission, Mr Owusu said has directed that the Ghana Education Service resolve to get the grievances of the teachers resolved.
It is gathered that the leadership of the teacher unions were yet to be officially informed of the development.
By Jonathan Ofori, Daily Mail GH
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