CETAG bears grudge against government over non-payment of allowances

Members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association (CETAG) have expressed disappointment in the government for acting reluctantly in implementing and paying allowances captured in the NLC's Compulsory Arbitration Awards to its members as directed by the National Labour Commission (NLC) in 2023.

CETAG leaders, spearheading the affairs of teachers from the 46 public colleges of education in Ghana, held a press conference on April 22, 2024, at the Accra College of Education, demanding that the government immediately implement the NLC’s compulsory arbitration awards issued on May 2, 2023.

Following the actions of the Fair Wages and Salary Commission (FWSC) and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), which are retarding the payment of the allowances, the President of CETAG, Prince Obeng-Himah, and the National Secretary of CETAG, Thomas Ampomah, issued a press statement on Monday, May 6, 2024, to notify the general public of the government’s actions regarding the payment of their deserved allowances and other remunerations.

The leaders of CETAG have therefore described the government's attitude as clamorous and have entreated the government to respect the order by the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the dignity of the hardworking members.

“CETAG wishes to bring to the attention of the media, all relevant stakeholders, and the general public that since our last press conference on April 22, 2024, our employer has continued to blatantly disrespect the NLC’s Compulsory Arbitration Awards issued on May 2, 2023, and subsequent directives issued on August 31, 2023,” the statement reads.

The government, after CETAG’s press conference on April 22, 2024, invited the association leaders for a meeting on May 2, 2024, with the Fair Wages and Salary Commission (FWSC), the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), and representatives of PRINCO to resolve their concerns; however, the leaders of CETAG felt displeased with the government’s approach to rectifying their grievances.

According to CETAG’s observations from the meeting, GTEC and FWSC have no intention of paying a one-month salary as compensation to CETAG members for additional duty performed in 2022, as instructed by the NLC to effect the payment by September 30, 2023.

The association leaders also noted that “GTEC wants to adopt its modalities to rate and pay the remunerations of CETAG members who have the same qualifications as staff of public university workers, which the leaders said would disadvantage CETAG members."

“That both GTEC and FWSC have no immediate plans to pay the arrears of one thousand and sixty-four Ghana cedis (GHC 1,064) to each entitled member of CETAG as a top-up on the 2022/2023 research allowance based on the 2023 negotiated agreement with FWSC.”

The leaders also asserted that the government continued to withhold the August 2023 salary of CETAG President Prince Obeng-Himah, and a host of other members, accusing them of instigating the members for legal strike action in 2023.

To press home the demands of CETAG members and compel the government to address their concerns as directed by the NLC, they cautioned, “We wish to reiterate forcefully that if, by May 31, 2024, our employer has not implemented all the NLC’s unambiguous compulsory arbitration awards, CETAG members across all 46 public colleges of education shall advise themselves accordingly.”