By Isaac Arkoh
Cape Coast, Oct. 24, GNA – The Central Regional office of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT Central) has called on the national leadership of the association to be steadfast in negotiating for new conditions of service to ensure industrial peace and harmony.
It said although progress had been made towards improving the working conditions of teachers, however, teachers were faced with many challenges affecting productivity.
The NAGRAT Central Regional Office described as distressing the inability of the national executives of NAGRAT to negotiate a new agreement following the expiry of their bargaining agreement with the government in 2022.
Consequently, the NAGRAT Central has given a week’s ultimatum to the national executives to act appropriately to prevent what they described as dire consequences on teaching and learning.
Addressing the media on Monday, Mrs. Salamatu Gausu, the Regional Chairperson, reminded NAGRAT national to ensure that benefits that other public sector workers enjoyed were extended to all teachers.
“The Ghanaian teacher cannot hope for a reward in heaven while others enjoyed on earth,” she said.
She said the precarious working conditions of teachers across the country have made them worse off and hopeless without any stringent measures by the government to ameliorate their plight.
Mrs Gausu re-counted harrowing tales of teachers who visit the NAGRAT Central office daily with stories of poor welfare and hopelessness.
There are public sector workers who enjoy rent allowance, transport allowance, entertainment allowance, electricity subsidies, and other juicy allowances that the Ghanaian teacher does not enjoy.
“As you are all aware, the Ghanaian teacher lags when it comes to issues of compensation and remuneration, even though the teacher works under very challenging conditions everywhere in this country.
“We are all public sector workers, working for the same government and the same country, and yet, our government deem it necessary to include in the conditions of service for other sector workers, benefits that are not found in the conditions of service for others and this is not fair,” she added.
GNA