CETAG Issues Strike Ultimatum: Implement NLC Award by October 31 or Face Nationwide Shutdown Across 46 Colleges
The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has delivered a final ultimatum to the government: fully implement the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) May 2023 arbitral award by October 31, 2025, or brace for an indefinite nationwide strike across all 46 Colleges of Education.
The threat, detailed in a strongly worded statement signed by National President Maxwell Bunu and Secretary Fidelis Kamaayi, stems from years of “persistent failure” to honor binding agreements, including unpaid allowances and migration to university pay structures, risking severe disruptions to the 2025/2026 academic calendar.
CETAG’s grievances center on the NLC’s award, which mandates compensation for extra duties, research allowances, and structural reforms. Despite a April 30, 2025, agreement with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to pay 2023/2024 Book and Research Allowance arrears alongside 2024/2025 disbursements, CETAG claims these remain “inexplicably delayed.”
Additional pain points include the top-up for 2022 allowances at Akrokerri College, compensation for all-year-round work in 39 colleges from 2022, staff downgrading, and non-payment of 2022/2023 arrears tied to salary migration.
“If all outstanding components of the arbitral award are not fully implemented by October 31, 2025, CETAG will advise itself,” the statement warns, escalating to a November 7 strike notice if unmet.
“This industrial action will remain in force until the last pesewa owed to CETAG is paid,” it declares, invoking Section 159 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651). The union, representing 7,000+ tutors, halted a four-week strike in August 2024 after government assurances, but accuses the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) of breaching trust by delaying migrations and payments—issues that previously triggered a January 2025 indefinite walkout, resolved only after FWSC interventions.
CETAG appeals for urgent action to avert chaos, warning of halted teaching, project supervision, and macro-teaching that could derail teacher training for 50,000+ students. “We urge the government to act decisively and prioritise the welfare of teacher educators,” the duo stated, as the NLC’s award—binding since 2023—hangs in limbo amid fiscal constraints.
This echoes UTAG and TUTAG’s June 2025 strike suspension after GTEC pledges, but unresolved arrears persist, fueling a cycle of unrest in tertiary education.
