Expect prolonged strike -NAGRAT

Wa, October 19, GNA - Mr Kwami Alorvi, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), has served notice to the government to expect a prolonged absence from the classrooms by its striking members and other sympathetic teachers.

He said NAGRAT was prepared to go on with their strike for even one year in order to get the long-standing injustice against the teacher addressed to their satisfaction.

The NAGRAT President said this when he addressed a meeting attended by about 500 basic school teachers in the Wa municipality on Wednesday.

He said even if the government increased their salaries by 100 per cent the association would not call off its strike until the government carried out a total overhaul of the salary structure of teachers, using the recently approved salary for health sector workers as the basis.

Mr Alorvi praised the "progressive concerned GNAT members" in the Upper West and Upper East regions for joining the graduate teachers in their strike for better conditions. He called for the implementation of the memorandum of understanding the association signed with the Ghana Education Service Council.

Mr Alorvi said NAGRAT refused to join GNAT in negotiating with the government because GNAT was not their employer. He also denied speculations that the association was being instigated in their strike a political party opposed to the ruling government.

Mr Alorvi also called on the striking teachers to be resolute and not to be deterred by intimidation, insults and harassments warning that should they fail to achieve the objectives for their strike, the future of the teacher is doomed as they could hardly ever be able to organize such a successful strike.

Mr Munkaila King Zakaaria, NAGRAT General Secretary, said the Ghanaian teacher has now found a saviour in NAGRAT and that until the new salaries they are demanding are reflected in their pay advice the strike would go on.