It’s Unfortunate To Push Through Your Request Amid IMF Return – Bobochi To Teacher Unions

Former Public Relations Officer for the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana, Mr. Norbert Bobochie has stated that it is unfortunate for the teacher unions to push through with their request during the government of Ghana’s return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Speaking on Opemsuo Radio with Agudey, the CCT-G’s member said, “the country is in serious economic crisis that it has run to the IMF for a bailout and the fund comes in with its own directives and conditions that does not favour public sectors employees and employment such as laying off labourers and not offering employment opportunities at all”.

Speaking about the teacher unions’ strike action that was initiated through a press conference in Accra on Monday, July 4, 2022, the four unions include the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT-G), Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU).

This comes after the unions’ due date that is, July 4, 2022, for such action issued to the government did not bear any apparent results.
According to Mr. Bobochie, the teacher union in engagement with the government last year did not make a good negotiation by accepting a 4% offer from the government but after a year of not seeing any good results want to renegotiate while they were charged earlier to do so last year. He emphasized that “they accepted the 4% offer from the government with the condition that more teachers would be employed with other special offers”.

Speaking earlier on the show, the Deputy Communications Director for the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana, Mr. Frank Gyekye strongly emphasized how the leadership of the teacher unions is concerned with the wellbeing of teachers and will use the mandate vested in them by their members to push through for anything good that they deserve as teachers.

Mr. Gyekye stated that “the high cost of living has made it very difficult for teachers to adjust to”.

“The current state of inflation, fuel prices, and the overall living situation have affected us severely, for this reason, the teachers association wrote to the government to support them with 20% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) and the government has remained deaf toward our request since last year, hence, our decision to go on strike”.

He went on to say that, he has refused to join them because the strike action does not have any legal backing.

Source: Opemsuo.com/ Effah Mensah William.