NLC Oftentimes Declare Strikes As Illegal To Aid Gov�t � Concerned Teachers

The Coalition of Concerned Teachers of Ghana (CCT) has stated that the Court ruling delivered in favour of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) against the National Labour Commission (NLC) is a test case that �proves not all strikes are illegal as always pronounced by the NLC�. To the group, the court�s decision in this case points to the fact that the NLC�s hasty declaration of strikes as unlawful, are just to aid government in dragging its feet on labour issues. In a statement signed by King Ali Awudu Communication Director of CCT: ��Today we have known that NLC just hide behind the law and assist government to delay labour issues and prevent workers in this country from exercising their constitutional right to better conditions of service�. CCT also stated it has taken clues from this development and henceforth shall adopt similar strategies to press home its demands. This comes on the back of a decision by an Accra Human Rights Court describing as �unlawful� the directive of the National Labour Commission (NLC), to the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), to call off its strike and return to the classroom. According to the court, NLC�s directive did not follow the Labour Act 651 and Legislative Instrument (LI) 1822, which demands strict adherence to arbitration processes. It therefore gave the NLC a 10 day ultimatum to settle the dispute by initiating and finalizing arbitration in the impasse between the Ministry of Education and POTAG as required by law. The CCT further warned the NLC to against the seeming attempt to stall deliberations on issues it has brought before it. �We wish to state emphatically that the CCT is not happy about recent developments at the NLC where issues brought before it are deliberately delayed. Teachers in this country deserves better,� he said.