NAGRAT Leadership appeals to teachers

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA - The Ghana Education Service (GES) Council in conformity with the rules and regulations governing the conditions of service of teachers could decide to defreeze October salaries of members of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Papa Owusu Ankomah, Minister of Education, Science and Sports, said on Monday. The Minister was reacting to a statement by the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) requesting the Minister to expedite action on his promise made when the Ghana Conference of Religions for Peace appealed to him to defreeze salaries of affected teachers.

Papa Owusu Ankomah told the Ghana News Agency: "I am not technically responsible for the management of teachers; I deal with policy making and implementation."

He, however, said he would hold discussions with the GES Council to know what was happening.

Mr Michael Nsowah, Acting Director General of GES, said he would contact the Chairman of the Council soon to discuss the issue.

He noted that there was no need rushing with the decision to defreeze the salaries of affected teachers, saying: "We need to take our time to analyse the situation before we come out with a decision." National and Regional Leaders of NAGRAT on Monday appealed to their members to return to the classrooms to end their 10-week-old strike. The appeal, according to a statement signed in Accra by Mr Munkayila King Zakari, General Secretary of NAGRAT, follows the intervention of the Ghana Conference of Religions for Peace to end a crippling strike that had kept teachers out of the classrooms since September 1.

"Based upon the intervention of the Ghana Conference of Religions for Peace and discussions that have started with the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, the National Secretariat in conjunction with the Regional Secretariats is appealing to all teachers to go back to the classrooms," the statement said.

It said: "For a quick response to the appeal we have made, we request the Minister (of Education, Science and Sports, Papa Owusu Ankomah) to expedite action on his promise on the request made by the Ghana Conference on Religions for Peace to defreeze the October salaries of affected teachers."

NAGRAT said on the substantive issues for which the strike was declared, the National Secretariat would continue to hold discussions with the authorities for redress.

The Controller and Accountant-General Department has withheld October salaries of the striking teachers on the orders of the Ghana Education Service (GES) that had also warned that teachers, who were not in the classroom s by November 10 would forfeit their November salaries as well.

Religious bodies last Thursday broke the ice that had seen frosty ties between NAGRAT and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) on one hand and NAGRAT and the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Papa Owusu Ankomah on the other.

Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast, led the Ghana Conference of Religions for Peace on Thursday to facilitate the talks that have seen the end of a debilitating rivalry between the two teacher unions and a crippling strike by NAGRAT that has seen the classrooms of second cycle schools, in particular, empty since the term began in September.

"Let us give them credit. The meetings were good," Mr Zakari, General Secretary of NAGRAT, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on Friday. "They preached peace and love.

"The meeting with GNAT was to iron out our differences (between NAGRAT and GNAT). After the GNAT meeting, they took us to meet the Minister to break the ice," he said.

He declined to give any detail about the meeting with Papa Owusu Ankoma, but said: "He received us well."

The Minister had met NAGRAT officials before the strike was launched. He however, declined to meet them once the strike began since negotiations could not be held when workers were on strike. Several efforts by various groups to end the strike failed and some members of GNAT also joined the strike against the advice of their leadership.

Some regional branches of NAGRAT had called off the strike and asked members to resume teaching, but some teachers had rejected the directive of their Executives.

Mr Zakari said differences between GNAT and NAGRAT centred on mistrust and misunderstanding, especially between their leadership, and the meeting "was to restore trust and understanding". He said they underlined their common interests but there were some issues that were peculiar to NAGRAT members, who were mainly in second cycle institutions.

Mr Zakari said GNAT again invited NAGRAT to join in the negotiations between the Ghana Education Service (GES) and GNAT on salary proposals and collective bargaining agreement but they declined because they did not want to "derail" the process.

"GNAT extended the invitation but we said it was improper to join them in midstream or when negotiations were about to end. "The proposals are to be incorporated into the 2007 Budget, which will be read next week. We might derail what has been achieved, as we might make proposals that might delay the process."

They, however, agreed to collaborate on other issues. Mr Zakari said NAGRAT had never looked down on GNAT, but any time NAGRAT undertook "an action", GNAT came out to condemn them adding that there was the need for GNAT to change their approach to issues. "No one wants war. It is against everybody's wish. The impasse was neither good for them nor for us...."

The GES announced on Thursday that negotiations they were having with GNAT on salary proposals and collective agreement were still ongoing.

Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, the Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Committee, said teachers and the general public would be informed about the outcome "as soon as negotiations are concluded". NAGRAT last Wednesday communicated to its regional branches the ruling of the Accra Fast Track High Court that declared their strike illegal and, therefore, ordered them to return to the classroom. A terse statement signed by Mr Marjore Affenyi, Publicity and Organising Secretary of NAGRAT, said: "The Accra High Court (Fast Track Division) has ruled that the strike action by teachers is illegal and should be called off. The court by its ruling has ordered all NAGRAT members to return to the classroom. We are by this release communicating the ruling of the court to members."

Mr Kwami Alorvi, President of NAGRAT, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that they were obeying the Court.

"We are obeying the ruling of the Court," he said. "We have filed an appeal against the ruling, but the date has not been fixed as yet. That is why we are taking this action."

NAGRAT embarked on a crippling strike action on September 1 that kept members away from the classrooms and put the future of students, especially Senior Secondary School (SSS) Three students who would be writing their examinations in May/June 2007 at risk.

The strike action was to back demands on the Government to review salaries of workers, especially those of teachers.

The graduate teachers also asked the Controller and Accountant General to stop the use of Auto Code that effected deductions from teachers' salaries and a replacement of the Acting Director of the GES, Mr Nsowah, whose compulsory retirement was due last year. They further asked the Government to implement all outstanding grievances on which Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) had been signed, including invigilation allowances for Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE).

They also called for a meeting between the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the GES to discuss invigilation fees. Other issues included the implementation of adjustment in salaries and ranks of Assistant Director and above, meaningful responsibility allowances to be put in place by the GES and its Council for all teachers and payment of arrears for teachers recruited in the 2003/2004 academic year.

An Accra Fast Track Court on October 31 ordered the striking members of NAGRAT to call off their strike and to return to the classroom.

The Court ruled that the President of the NAGRAT, Mr Kwami Alorvi, the Vice President and all regional officers of the Association should return to the classrooms and teach according to their conscience. The ruling followed an application filed by the National Labour Commission (NLC) praying the Court to order members of NAGRAT to call off their strike action.

The Court, presided over by Mr Richard Asamoah, said NAGRAT should use proper means to achieve its objectives. "The Court will not give room to lawlessness in the country," it ruled. The Court also asked NAGRAT "to teach according to the laws and their conscience". The NLC filed a suit on October 11 seeking, among other things, an order under Section 172 of Act 651 of the Labour Act, to compel the Leadership in particular, and members of NAGRAT in general, to comply with the Commission's order directing them to call off the illegal strike. Members of NAGRAT, who returned to the classrooms in Accra, appealed to the Government to take immediate steps to pay back their October salaries to guarantee their stay in the classroom. "They want us to teach meanwhile they are withholding our salaries. How can you muzzle the horse and expect it to work. It is practically impossible," a teacher said on condition of anonymity. 13 Nov. 06