TThe Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) say it doors are still open to accommodate the striking members of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) on its negotiation for enhanced salaries for teacher staff under the Ghana Education Service (GES).

GNAT which holds the bargaining certificate on behalf of the country teacher on the accounts of its strength indicated yesterday that the Association was ready to get a better condition of service for teachers.
The leadership yesterday commenced negotiations with its employer, GES in order to get a fair deal for the country‘s agitated teachers before the 2007 budget is read next month the outcome of yesterday’s negotiation was not known as at press time.

A statement issued in Accra yesterday and signed by Mr. Joseph Kwaku Adjei GNAT president noted that negotiations for the enhanced salaries were based in the salary proposal submitted by the Association to Government. According to the statement, GNAT with the power to negotiate for teacher submitted salary proposal to government based on job characteristic in the GES,

Furthermore the proposal requested the negotiation on the figures should be concluded before the national budget is read, so that the agreed figures are putted into the 2007 budget ,”the association said. It has therefore appealed to its restless members to exercise maximum restraint and focus on their professional duties whilst the leadership concentrate on the negotiation process.

“The leadership believes that it can count on the maximum support of member to achieve the best for all teachers. We will keep our member duly informed as the negotiation process unfolds” it stressed. The labour scene has been rocked with teacher agitation for good condition of service with the members of NAGRAT laying down their tools.

NAGRAT members apart from enhanced salaries are asking for scholarship for two children of every member from the kindergarten to the university level and the removal of the acting director of the GES from office. The graduate teacher who having no strike for about six month are demanding certificate to enable them negotiate for their own conditions of service outside the GNAT negotiated conditions.

But this demands seems to have hit a snag as the association has no bargaining certificate to negotiate for its members in line with section 99(1) of the labour act 2003 (Act 651)

The power to negotiate is conferred on GNAT which has over 162,166 members as gainst NAGRAT’s 7,271 members when a head countof teachers was conducted at the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD).
But out of magnanimity ,GNAT on August 3,2006 wrote to NAGRAT asking it to join the negotiation team. In line with 96 of the labour act 2003 we invite your association to submit proposal to be included in the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement Furthermore we request that you nominate two of your members to serve on the committee that has been tasked to draft the agreement.

GNAT said the response to the request should be forwarded by august 24, 2004 which NAGRAT indicated in a response that it was not feasible. However when NAGRAT eventually responded to the GNAT request it raised issued which challenged it eligible to be part of the negotiating team. NAGRAT realize that your citing of articles 96 of the labour act 2003 is in view of the issuance of a collective bargaining certificate and NAGRAT would like to know which groups were mentioned in that certificate and whether it is part of that certificate it questioned.

However GNAT said its doors were still open to NAGRAT to join salary and conditions of service negotiating team since there can not be two separate conditions for teachers in the public service. GNAT traced the distortion in salary structure to the hiving of health workers form the Ghana university salary structure introduced in 1997 .
Daily Guide (Tuesday .October 17 ,2006).