Four teacher unions, Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT) and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU)have declared a strike today on July 4, 2022, following the government failure to pay Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).
The unions had given the government up to July 30 to fulfill COLA demands but they did not meet the deadline. Today the teachers held a press conference to express their disappointment at the government for ignoring their calls. General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah, led the unions in the press and stated the following;
We have been compelled under the current circumstances to publicly communicate to Ghanaians on our intention to go on strike having gone passed the June 30 deadline we gave government for the payment of Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). Consequently, we have decided to embark on strike from today, Monday, July 4, 2022. By this, we are informing the general public that we are withdrawing services in all the pre-tertiary education institutions. This includes teaching and non-teaching staffs.
According to teacher unions, they demand for the payment of between 20 % and 30 % of their salaries to cover for COLA. Teachers believe this percentage will help them survive during the current economic hardships. However, since their demands have fallen on deaf ears, the unions said they are left with no other choice but call for strike.
