A stern ultimatum has been issued by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association (CETAG), to the government, demanding the full implementation of the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) arbitral award by the end of October 2025 or face a nationwide strike across all 46 Colleges of Education.
In a strongly worded statement dated October 27, 2025, CETAG expressed deep frustration over what it described as the government’s “persistent failure” to honour the binding arbitral award issued by the NLC on May 2, 2023, which sought to resolve longstanding compensation grievances among tutors in Colleges of Education.
According to CETAG, despite several engagements and assurances, the government has yet to pay the 2023/2024 Book and Research Allowance arrears as agreed with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) on April 30, 2025.
The association noted that these arrears were supposed to be paid together with the 2024/2025 allowance but have been “inexplicably delayed.”
CETAG also described the government’s failure to pay the top-up of the 2022 Book and Research Allowance for staff of Akrokerri College of Education, despite numerous assurances as disturbing.
CETAG went on to address other unresolved matters that are still pending before the NLC.
CETAG insists these delays represent a breach of trust and a disregard for labour laws, emphasizing that the NLC’s arbitral award is legally binding and not subject to government discretion
Their strike threat read, ‘The association has therefore issued a final warning to the government: if all outstanding components of the arbitral award are not fully implemented by October 31, 2025, it will “advise itself.”
This industrial action will remain in force until the last pesewa owed to CETAG is paid,” the statement declared.
They went on to appeal to the government to act swiftly to avert disruptions to the 2025/2026 academic calendar, warning that continued inaction could destabilize teaching and learning at the nation’s Colleges of Education
“We urge the government to act decisively and prioritize the welfare of teacher educators and the broader academic community,” the statement concluded.