Following deteriorating economic conditions in the nation, regional chapters of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) have increased pressure on their national leadership to finalise discussions with the government for the payment of cost of living allowance (COLA).
Organized labour pushed the government to pay workers 20% of their base income as COLA at this year's May Day celebration.
To express their worries over the government's failure to come to an agreement with the organisation about the payment of the stipend, the regional NAGRAT chapters have taken turns organising news conferences.
The Bono, Ahafo, Bono East, and Greater Accra branches are among them.
They offered the association's national leadership a week to work with the government on the allowance issue or they would put down their tools.
Greater East
According to Gilbert Mawuli Agbey, members of the association encouraged the government to respect the demands made by organised labour for the payment of COLA in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
John Akunzebe, the Upper East Regional Chairman of NAGRAT, claimed that while teacher wages were staying the same, prices for commodities and services continued to rise.
"The government's implementation of more levies has deteriorated the already poor state of the people," he continued.
Sunyani
Sunyani
According to the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regional secretariat of the organisation, multiple labour unions' requests for the government to take action on the issue were ignored, according to Biiya Mukusah Ali.
Augustine Akidam, the Bono Regional Chairman of NAGRAT, said: "We are on life support." He said that the current economic situation of teachers and other employees has gotten worse as a consequence of the intolerable cost of living.
Accra
Henry Teity Tetteh-Afi, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of NAGRAT, said in a news conference yesterday[June 28, 2022] that the government's silence, apathy, and insensitivity would no longer be accepted.
"At this point, the agony brought on by extreme economic problems is simply intolerable. The instructor sacrificed so much for this country, and we resign ourselves to pain and an inhumane demise.
He declared, "This situation shouldn't be allowed to persist."