Ghana: Press focuses on directive to Teacher Unions to call off strike, others

The directive by the National Labour Commission to the three pre-tertiary teachers’ unions embarking on an industrial strike action to call it off immediately is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Punch reports that the National Labour Commission (NLC) has ordered the three pre-tertiary teachers’ unions embarking on an industrial strike action to call it off immediately.
On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) declared an industrial strike effective that same day.
They attributed the move to the failure of the Ministry of Education and its implementing agency, the Ghana Education Service (GES) to put in place better conditions of service.
Issues highlighted by the teachers were the absence of an appropriate Scheme of Service and a Collective Agreement, rampant changes in school calendar without recourse to the teachers, inefficient distribution of laptops and the blockage of some teachers’ salaries by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
In a statement signed by the Chairperson of the National Labour Commission, Justice Kwabena Asuman-Adu, the NLC ordered the unions to rescind their decision because it was not in compliance with Section 159 of Act 651 of the Labour Act.
The order, the statement said, was in pursuance of Section 133 (1) of the same Labour Act, 2003.
Furthermore, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has also described the industrial action embarked on by the three teacher unions as unlawful and a show of bad faith.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the commission, Benjamin Arthur, said the commission had been engaging with the leadership of the unions, and the parties had agreed to continue negotiations today [Thursday, March 21, 2024].
He, therefore, called on the teacher unions to call off the strike immediately and return to the negotiation table.
The newspaper says that research conducted by West African health institutions has revealed a rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancers within the region.
The research, conducted under a project dubbed: “STOP-NCD” was aimed at contributing to improved health of West African populations through comprehensive and sustainable capacity strengthening for high-quality applied NCD research to improve prevention, diagnosis and management and involves, Ghana, Niger and Burkina Faso.
It was conducted by the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS), Ashesi University, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Research Partner Institutions- LASDEL and Catholic University of West Africa/University Unit of Bobo (UCAO-UUB).
NCDs can be reduced with timely and effective primary healthcare interventions.
The findings of the research was presented at a forum held at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
The research was funded by the Global Health Research Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases Control in West Africa (NIHR).
Speaking at the event, the Faculty Chair, Faculty of Public Health at GCPS, Professor Irene Agyepong emphasised the region’s neglect of NCDs due to focus on malaria and TB.
Discussing findings from Ghana, Niger, and Burkina Faso, particularly on diabetes, hypertension, and mental disorders, she highlighted how factors beyond the healthcare system, including infrastructure and traditional disease orientation had impacted the issue.
She noted that access to healthcare facilities was hindered by factors including road quality and transportation networks, particularly affecting remote communities.
The Graphic also reports that the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has asserted that the Parliament of Ghana under his leadership will resist any affront on the nation’s democracy.
In a social media post, he stressed that he would not allow the government to undermine the sovereign will of the people expressed through their representatives in parliament.
The statement was a reaction to a letter dated March 18, 2024 from the Office of the President requesting Parliament not to send the anti-gay bill to President Akufo-Addo for assent.
Speaker Bagbin emphasised that he would particularly stand in the way of any move by the government to undermine the culture and values of the Ghanaian people.
“We have lost so much of them [values] to colonialism and slave trade that this generation has a divine mandate to protect the remnants of our cultural values and even restore the lost ones. The culture and democracy of Ghana are supreme that I will do everything legally possible to safeguard them,” he said.
The Speaker therefore encouraged the government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to desist from actions and inactions that attempted to trivialise Ghana’s democratic practice.
“We at the Parliament House thank all Ghanaians for speaking so loud on this matter and speaking truth to the government. God bless our homeland Ghana,” he added.
The Chronicle newspaper says that President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has launched a book chronicling Ghana’s experience with the novel Corona virus.
The launch of the book was held on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra.
Authored by the Minister for Health Designate, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, the book is titled Fellow Ghanaians: Telling Ghana’s COVID-19 Story.
It documents the nation’s journey of fear, facts, faith and fortune, all experienced during the doom’s day of the pandemic.
President Akufo-Addo, who was the special guest of honour at the launch, expressed gratitude and humility over the title of the book, ‘Fellow Ghanaians’, which he said held a special place in his heart.
According to him, those words he authored during the crisis embodied the spirit of unity among Ghanaians, adding that ‘Fellow Ghanaians’ was not a mere title, but a reminder of the bond that unites the nation.
“This title holds a special place in my heart, not only because it resonates deeply with the words I authored during some of our nation’s most challenging moments, but also because it embodies the spirit of unity and solidarity that defines us as Ghanaians.
“Fellow Ghanaians is not just a title; it is a powerful reminder of the bond that unites us as a people, transcending tribe, religion, or political affiliation.
“It was a call to action, urging us to stand together in the face of the adversity of COVID-19 and to work tirelessly to win the fight against the pandemic,” President Akufo-Addo remarked.
“As we reflect on the pages of this book and the account it contains, let us remember the lessons we have learned and the progress we have made.
“Let us recommit ourselves to the values that bind us together as Ghanaians: compassion, resilience and solidarity,” President Akufo-Addo said.
GIK/APA