Response to PRINCOF’s Appeal to CETAG to Reconsider Strike Action and Resume Academic Work
CETAG's Firm Stance on Ongoing Strike and Demands for Fair Treatment
The National Council of CETAG acknowledges receipt of your letter dated August 5, 2024, appealing for members to resume academic work by Tuesday, August 6, 2024, to facilitate the payment of our unlawfully frozen July 2024 salaries by the Ministry of Education through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
After thoroughly reviewing your letter of appeal and its implied threats, the Council wishes to clarify our stance as follows:
1. Since 2018, PRINCOF has played a role in freezing our members’ salaries for participating in legitimate strike actions aimed at demanding better conditions of service from our Employer. Specific instances of these salary freezes occurred in November 2018, August 2023, and July 2024.
2. Since the publication of the staff audit report in September 2023, neither PRINCOF nor GTEC has taken concrete steps to ensure its implementation for CETAG members, leading to the current strike action.
3. The Union has observed with significant concern that PRINCOF’s actions have emboldened the Employer to disregard the NLC’s Compulsory Arbitration Award for CETAG.
4. On June 20, 2024, during the appearance of the Government team and CETAG leadership at the NLC, the General Secretary of PRINCOF informed the Commissioners that PRINCOF had advised GTEC not to implement the staff audit report for CETAG members because, in PRINCOF’s view, CETAG members do not deserve the same conditions of service as Public University lecturers.
5. The appeal by PRINCOF for our members to resume work is in bad faith, considering the condition in your letter that PRINCOF stands ready to facilitate the payment of the July frozen salary on behalf of CETAG members who return to the lecture halls to allow for further engagement and speedy resolution of the issues.
6. PRINCOF cannot pretend to be doing CETAG members a favor when it indeed took part in freezing our July salaries, supporting the claim by GTEC that our strike action was illegal.
7. If PRINCOF agrees with GTEC and the Ministry that our strike action is illegal, on what basis will PRINCOF intervene for the payment of our salaries?
8. The current impasse is partly due to PRINCOF, which has consistently sided with the Employer, perpetuating injustice against CETAG members whenever we embark on legitimate strike actions to demand what is legally due to us.
9. CETAG will only consider any appeal from PRINCOF if you can persuade the Employer to immediately implement all our outstanding Compulsory Arbitration Awards.
10. The National Council did not approve the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) you referred to, as it was executed in bad faith by the Employer, similar to many other communiquΓ©s and letters issued in the past by the same Government officials that were never honored, leading to the present strike action.
We wish to unequivocally state that our legitimate strike action will only end when the Employer fulfills all our demands as outlined in our strike declaration statement issued on June 14, 2024, a copy of which was provided to PRINCOF. The Council, therefore, implores PRINCOF to direct all its efforts towards urging the Employer to implement all our outstanding Compulsory Arbitration Awards without further delay.
In conclusion, the Council encourages all our members to remain resolute and stand firm against any form of intimidation in our struggle for economic justice.
Thank you.
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