50,000 teachers declare strike over "Mahama's unfulfilled promises"

Striking Teachers

The Coalition of Concerned Teachers is asking its fifty thousand members to withdraw their services, effective Thursday, as it announces a strike.

The group is disappointed in the failure of President John Dramani Mahama to keep his promise to step in to resolve some grievances they reported earlier in the year.

Communications Director of the Coalition, King Awudu Ali says this failure is a sign that nobody in the country cares for their interests.

"We can confidently say that the president himself has not been fair to us after inviting us to the Flagstaff House and assuring us that he will step in for everything possible to be done [but] nothing has been done from March to October", he intimated.

King Awudu Ali listed the issued to include failure of government to pay incremental credit arrears, capitation grant, which remains unreleased, unpaid car maintenance allowance and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission's failure to open negotiations for category two and three allowances.

He noted government has increased salaries by 10% but has also increased utilities by about 78% for electricity and 52% for water.

This, he noted is "robbing Peter to pay Paul".

He further indicated the coalition had been ignored by several stakeholders being the Ministry of Education, Labour and Employment, Ghana Education Service among others.

Communications Director, King Awudu Ali, warned that members will not be intimidated into rescinding their decision until their grievances were resolved.