NAGRAT issues ultimatum to government over teachers’ conditions of service

The Eastern Regional branch of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), has conveyed the impatience of NAGRAT members in the region regarding the government’s inaction on the collective agreement concerning teachers’ conditions of service.

Mr. Awoonor Yevu Godwin, the Eastern Regional Chairman for NAGRAT, says government must demonstrate commitment to enhancing teachers’ conditions of service as soon as possible or face necessary actions by the association.

The Eastern Regional NAGRAT therefore urged government to immediately engage in a round table discussion with the association’s leadership, as the collective agreement negotiation initiated last year remains unaddressed.

He explained that despite a given deadline, the government’s lack of response has prompted concerns, pushing the association to consider decisive action if expectations are not met.

“We’ve seen that other public sector workers are enjoying their conditions of service which we are not saying that we want to follow the same thing because we also have to fight for our own and that is why we are urging the government to listen to our leadership to come to the round table with them and sit down with them and then whatever proposals that they will make the government will accept and implement it”

He added, “last year NAGRAT, GNAT organized press conferences simultaneously to demand from the government that the collective agreement has expired and therefore we need to begin the negotiation and the deadline was given to the government but up till now it has fallen on a deaf ear”

Mr. Awoonor Yevu Godwin clarified that “We are not using the 2024 year which is an election year to demand for those things we started it in 2023 and we are hoping that the government will listen to us so that it will not escalate and then when we go beyond the threshold and NAGRAT we decide to wear out red band they don’t blame us that is because of election season”

Mr. Godwin disclosed these concerns in an interview with the media at Aburi after an event marking the commencement of the Union’s 25th-anniversary celebrations at the regional level.

Expressing disapproval of the recent politicization of WASSCE results, Mr. Godwin noted its detrimental to Ghana’s educational system.

He called upon politicians to refrain from politicizing students’ performance, asserting that the WASSCE results reflected the genuine efforts of teachers nationwide.