The President of Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF) has stated that the leadership of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association (CETAG) is demanding that their current salary structure be made comparable to that of their counterparts in universities.
Prof. Samuel Atintono explained that when training colleges were upgraded to tertiary institutions, the salary structure required lecturers to have attained an MPhil to teach.
"The agitation is that, just like in the universities, if you have somebody with an MPhil in the university, they are classified as assistant lecturer, which is a traditional rank for grading because they are required to have a PhD to teach.
“The position of these tutors is that even though they don’t have a PhD, with the MPhil, they should be given equivalent pay just as their counterparts in the universities,” he said on Joy News’ PM Express.
According to him, the government then mandated the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to carry out a staff audit to ascertain the qualifications of the tutors. This data was collected last November.
The challenge, however, has been with the implementation of the new salary structure, which is one of the reasons why the Association has embarked on a 41-day strike.
“When CETAG raised the matter, it was the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission that reported the issue to the National Labour Commission (NLC). We needed to be sure we had all the information or the right data.
“Government argued that, just as it is in the university, if you're an assistant lecturer, you must necessarily show evidence of having a PhD, either you have completed it or you are on a PhD study to complete it to become a lecturer.
“Government said if we migrate all of you with an MPhil and then you all become assistant lecturers, which is not good, but I think they insisted that when they discussed it with the NLC, the Commission told them it is only for deserving members,” he said.
Prof. Samuel Atintono said CETAG argued that the NLC implied that all those who have a research master’s degree qualify, and this has been the bone of contention.
“The good news is, quite recently, the Director General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, who is our regulator, actually defined the criteria. They've now agreed that if you have a research master’s degree, then you could also be considered for the migration, which starts on July 29,” he said.
Background
On June 14, teachers in various colleges of education laid down their tools, demanding better working conditions and remuneration packages.
This action was a response to the government’s delay in implementing the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) Arbitral Award Orders and negotiated service conditions.
CETAG's demands include the payment of one month’s salary to each member for additional duties performed in 2022, and the application of agreed rates of allowances payable to public universities to deserving CETAG members.
This strike has affected all 46 public colleges of education nationwide.
According to CETAG's leadership, the strike aims to put pressure on the government to fulfil these commitments.
The academic calendar has been interrupted, and students are waiting anxiously for the resumption of classes.
The NLC secured an interlocutory injunction to halt the ongoing strike by CETAG.
Despite an NLC directive on June 20 to end the strike, CETAG continued, leading to a hearing where the Commission announced plans to sue the government to enforce the arbitral award in CETAG's favour.
On July 22, CETAG leadership said it would resist any illegal attempts to freeze members’ salaries.
They have also vowed to intensify their indefinite strike until the arbitral award and negotiated service conditions are implemented.
CETAG insists its strike is legal and has accused the NLC of misinforming the public about its actions.
Speaking at a news conference in Kumasi on Monday, July 22, CETAG President Prince Obeng-Himang stated that members will remain on strike until all outstanding concerns are addressed.
Credit: Abubakar Ibrahim
