ACCRA – Benjamin Nkrumah, chairman of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), spoke today on the Asaase Breakfast Show as his union commenced a nationwide strike over the government’s failure to timely sign and review their conditional service document.
“This strike is about delay in signing our conditional self-service,” Nkrumah said, explaining that the relevant document “contains administrative aspects” recognised by law, which mandates a review every three years.
He stated, “The last time that we signed this document was 2 years ago… by 2024, this document has again expired.”
Nkrumah expressed frustration with the government’s inaction, saying, “We have not received any assurances from them. We have been to the Labour Commission only 5 times on this issue.” He stressed that despite discussions, “there is no commitment from the government” to comply with Labour Commission decisions.
Describing the scope of the strike, Nkrumah highlighted that it affects all education sector workers—not only teachers but also cooks, cleaners, drivers, and administrative staff. “You can imagine the effect of this strike… We do not want to go, because we cannot go and sit at work if we do not have the basic tools that we need.”
On the conditions of service, he detailed, “We are looking at basically financial issues and non-financial issues… health issues. We are also looking at some allowances… these allowances have not been provided.”
He lamented the government’s failure to meet expectations despite warnings: “There are five warnings about this issue from the Labour Commission… [but] they have not come with anything.”
Nkrumah concluded by urging public support and media pressure to compel government negotiations, emphasising, “If government believes education is important, when you call us on the table, we will sit down and discuss on this topic.”
The TEWU strike, which officially started today after being declared last Friday, encompasses staff across Ghana’s public educational institutions, posing a significant challenge to educational services nationwide.
Source: asaaseradio.com
