Academic activities at the various Colleges of Education across the country is grinding to a halt starting today, Thursday, January 2, 202,5 as Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has declared an indefinite industrial action.
CETAG says the decision to withdraw their services was made at an Emergency National Council meeting held on 30th December 2025.
In a statement cited by The High Street Journal, CETAG stated that the strike action became inevitable following the disregard of notices served on two occasions.
“This decision follows the earlier notices of strike served on 26th September 2024 and 23rd December 2024 of which the National Labour Commission (NLC) has failed to address the concerns raised,” parts of the statement read.
After 42 meetings with the relevant stakeholders including key institutions such as the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, GTEC, and Office of the Vice President, the employer has still failed to implement what they describe as NLC’s compulsory arbitration awards.
The demands of CETAG necessitating this strike action, according to its statement, include the following;
1. The Employer has willfully failed to comply with the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) Compulsory Arbitration Award issued on 2nd May, 2023 in breach of section 167 (2 & 3) and section 64 (4) of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 65).
2. Failure on the part of the employer, within a period of 20 months, to complete the migration of the colleges of education teaching staff onto the affiliate universities’ pay structure.
3. Government’s undue delay in paying the remaining forty-two (42) Colleges the one-month basic salary as compensation for all-year-round work done by CETAG members in 2022 as ordered by the NLC on 2nd May, 2023.
4. The prolonged delays of Government in issuing the new appointment letters based on the staff audit report and the affiliate universities’ scheme of service to staffs to enable the migration to be effected by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) in October 2024 as agreed.
5. The non-payment of top-up of Book and research allowance for 2023 to staff of Akrokerri College of Education.
6. The NLC’s inertia in triggering section 172 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) to compel our Employers to comply with the 2nd May, 2023 and 31st August, 2023 orders and directives even though the union has written several letters to the Commission for enforcement of the Compulsory Arbitration Awards as specified in section 172 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
CETAG says that without these issues resolved amicably, they have vowed not to return to the classroom.
The association further states that until every amount owed them is paid into their accounts, the industrial action will continue unabated.
The strike is expected to negatively affect academic activities on the various Colleges of Education campuses. Teaching and learning, supervision of project work as well as macro-teaching are among the various activities affected by this action.
“Members of the union shall not under any circumstance return to the colleges to undertake any official duties including teaching, and supervision of project work and macro-teaching, until the last pesewa is paid into our accounts,” the statement concluded.
