Teachers Ditch Classrooms For Organised Labour Demo

Most public schools in Ghana will today be without their teachers because they have resolved to join the nationwide Organised Labour demonstration today.

A letter addressed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) said “the teachers will participate fully in the Wednesday 20th January, 2016 demonstration and the Thursday and Friday, January 21-22, 2016 nationwide strike as part of mass protest and demonstration in Accra and other major cities across the country.” 

The letter signed by acting General Secretary of GNAT, M.V.V.K. Demanya further explained that the teachers will be involved in all other plans announced by Organised Labour; “we would like to inform you that our teachers will participate in the actions lined up for the week beginning 18th January 2016 with the wearing of red bands.” 

Organised Labour is staging a nationwide demonstration today to register their displeasure about government’s refusal to reduce what they describe as astronomical increase in taxes that have heightened the prices of petroleum products and the cost of utility tariffs.

Meanwhile other groups including the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSSAG),  Occupy Ghana are also joining the demonstration which will be followed by an industrial strike.

Organised Labour is also demanding a 50% increase in salaries for public sector workers but government is not willing to heed to their demand.