The four teacher union leaders who have called a strike action over the non-payment of their Cost of Living Allowance are scheduled to meet with the Ghana Education Service (GES) today (COLA).
In an interview with JoyNews on Tuesday, Kwesi Kwarteng, the Education Ministry's public relations officer, stated that the meeting will "create a plan and engage on how to bring this matter to a conclusion."
He said to Emefa Apawu on Newsnight, "We expect that by the end of tomorrow [Wednesday], some progress will have been achieved."
Mr. Kwarteng is hopeful that the different parties concerned would demonstrate dedication and goodwill to break the deadlock.
He emphasised that the GES regulation for schools to stay open despite the industrial action is the best temporary option in response to requests from the Minority for schools to be closed due to the strike action.
"We are aware of the issue and are aware that a choice needs to be taken...
This provides excellent care for these kids in the meantime while we strive for a quick end to the strike action that starts tomorrow. That applies to schools that run the boarding system in the SHS schools as well.
"We could not have shut down the schools if you come to the fundamental level, which is the elementary schools to the JHS level, since it is probable that some parents did not even know and the desire to send their wards to school will be tremendous," he said.
Background
Four teacher unions announced an indefinite national strike on Monday, July 4 in response to demands for the payment of the cost-of-living allowance (COLA).
The unions, which include the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), are asking for a payment of 20% of their base pay.
"The burden is too much for us to handle. Even more so, we oppose the unequal pay in this nation's public services. Due to the fact that the June 30, 2022 deadline we given the government for the payment of the Cost of Living Allowance has passed, we are now forced to officially inform Ghanaians of our plan to strike.
"As a result, we've made the decision to start a strike action starting today, Monday, July 4, 2022. By doing this, we are letting the public know that we will no longer be providing any teaching or non-teaching staff in the pre-tertiary education sector, the instructors said.