POTAG strike illegal; Education Ministry declares


The Education Ministry has described as illegal, a nationwide strike declared by the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG).

Public Relations Officer at the Ministry Paul Krampah told Joy News the ministry was dialoguing with the teachers only to hear that the teachers had begun a strike.

The teachers are on strike in protest over non-payment of research allowance which has been in arrears for several months.

But Paul Krampah said the strike is unfortunate. He said the ministry had been liaising with POTAG as well as the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), which has similar concerns.

He said the ministry together with POTAG and UTAG were to report to the National Labour Commission to update the Commission on the outcome of meetings that had gone on to resolve the impasse.

He found it unfortunate  that POTAG failed to report to the NLC and rather chose to declare a strike.

He told Joy News’ Kwakye Afre-Nuamah that the ministry would still engage POTAG in a dialogue.

Meanwhile, polytechnic students across the country are already suffocating under a strike, which is barely a week old.

Joy News’ Volta Region correspondent Hubert Mawuli Yevu-Agbi reported that academic work had come to a standstill at the Ho Polytechnic as a result of the strike.

Final year students, who are preparing for their final year exams fear they would be made to stay longer than expected.

Some of the students said they had presentations to make today but were told that the teachers had declared a strike and so were unable to make their presentations.

They are even more worried that their mid semester exams scheduled later this month, might just be postponed.

The situation at the Sunyani Polytechnic is no different. Joy FM’s Brong Ahafo Regional correspondent, Kuuku Abban said students had been loitering around the campus all day.

Comments:
This article has 0 comment, leave your comment.