The National Secretariat of The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) on 23rd August, 2021 issued a letter responded to the communique issued by the New Juabeng South Municipal Education Directorate informing all teachers that instructional hours in the District have been extended.
The New Juaben South Education Directorate on 20th August, 2021 informed all Basic Public teachers in the Municipal about the extension of Instructional Hours. Lessons were to now begin at 08:00GMT and end at 15:00GMT. (Read full story here)
GNAT however sees this initiative by the New Juaben Municipal Directorate an imposition since the decision was taken without any consultation between the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Teacher Unions.
GNAT made reference to the Code of Conduct for the Staff of GES, Article 3.3 which specifically stated that;
a) Article 3.3 (i) which reads: Working hours per day shall be as pescribed by Law,
b) Article 3.3 (ii): Contact hours for staff and time for reporting for duty shall be determined through negotiations by the GES and the Unions, and
c) Article 3.3 (iii): A staff may be required to work beyond the required time in certain circumstances to be determined by the Head, or GES and the Unions.
The Union further stated that it was a breach of Section 13 of the Collective Agreement for Staff within the Ghana Education Service (GES), August 2020, specifically;
Section 13.2 which stipulates that: All other Conditions of Work shall be determined by a joint Negotiating Committee, made up of ten (10) persons each from the Government Team and the Unions. They include;
i) Hours of Work, Contact hours,…..
Section 13.2, Collective Agreement for Staff of Ghana Education Service
GNAT, in light of the above, called for the immediate withdrawal of the directive by New Juaben South Education Directorate and serve notice that any attempt to force it on teachers would be resisted fiercely.
