Don’t wait for your reward in heaven - Lawyer urges teachers to sustain strike

Private Legal Practitioner, Agambire M William, has urged Ghanaian teachers to sustain their ongoing strike until their demands are met. Drawing a sharp comparison between teachers’ welfare and that of government appointees, he said, “Sustain the strike action until your demands are met! This is the only way to correct the inequalities and inequities in our dear country, Ghana,” his Facebook post read. The lawyer argued that some teachers’ colleagues who have gone on to become District Chief Executives (DCEs) and Members of Parliament are now “thousands of miles ahead” of them in terms of economic well-being. “The aroma of the soups from their kitchen has improved!” the post states, in a line that appears intended to illustrate the gap in living standards between teachers and politically appointed officials. The author urged teachers not to call off the strike simply because it coincides with the academic calendar, arguing that welfare should not be sacrificed to resume classes on schedule. The post also pushed back against allegations that union leaders may have been compromised into ending the action prematurely. “If your leaders call off the strike without the government meeting your ‘meagre’ demands, don’t just allege that they took envelopes; call an emergency meeting and impeach them,” the post reads, urging rank-and-file teachers to hold their own union leadership accountable rather than simply voicing suspicion online. The post also referenced Article 71 office holders, a category of public officials, including the President, ministers, MPs, and heads of constitutional bodies, whose salaries, allowances, and end-of-service benefits are determined through a separate constitutional process rather than the standard public sector pay structure. As a legal practitioner, his invocation of Article 71 situates the post within a constitutional framing of the pay disparity, rather than treating it purely as a matter of sentiment. “Article 71 office holders do not wait for their reward in heaven. Why must teachers wait for their reward in heaven? What if you don’t make it to heaven but hell?” the post asks, framing the disparity as a matter of justice rather than simply pay. The author closed with a pointed warning to teachers’ union leadership about the size of any eventual settlement, suggesting that a weak outcome would cost them credibility among the very members they represent. “Lastly, if you accept 7 Ghana cedis and call off your strike we will never take you serious in future,” the post reads. The post does not specify which teachers’ union or strike it refers to, nor does it name the specific demands it describes as “meagre” or identify the government officials it references. It was not immediately clear which ongoing industrial action prompted the post, or whether any teachers’ union has responded. Source: mynewsgh.com
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