Later today, the Ghanaian government will resume negotiations with the four striking teacher unions and other labor organizations over a 20 percent cost-of-living allowance (COLA).
Since July 4, 2022, all four pre-tertiary teacher unions have been on strike, and a number of other labor unions are threatening to do the same.
The Ghana Medical Association has stated that the outcome of today’s meeting with the government will influence their course of action. The Ghana Medical Association is asking for a COLA of 20% of their base wage.
The GMA may only declare these are the results when the discussions are over. we will need to make a choice if they are not alright.
Dr. Justice Yankson, vice president of the Ghana Medical Association GMA, told Citinewsroom.com: “But for now, the most important thing is that negotiations that were scheduled to begin, we will partake fully, and we hope that the employer will come to the table with something concrete that will ultimately appease labor in its entirety.”
A meeting between the administration and the labor union leaders last week resulted in a deadlock.
Officials from the Ministry of Finance, Benjamin Arthur, CEO of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, and Ignatius Baffour-Aluah, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, all attended the meeting with high-level government representatives.
The different labor unions are requesting a cost of living allowance due to what they claim are the negative repercussions of the nation’s present economic climate.
According to the unions, members are not able to meet the rise in the cost of living.
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Lately, It is just unbearable. Teachers also need housing allowance, duty allowance, risk allowance, hardship allowance, wardrobe allowance, fuel allowance, etc. We can’t be suffering like these while those teachers trained are taking more. We have workers in ghana who’s one month salary is a teacher’s two years Salary. It doesn’t make sense at all. A teacher after retiring wouldn’t even get money about to one billion. It’s just pathetic… Something must be done about teachers. We are living a disgraced life, that’s why you see us riding old motor bikes while those we taught and are in other sectors are driving. Something must be done, and it must be done now.