All CETAG salary arrears from 2023 to 2024 fully paid – GTEC boss

The Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, says the government has cleared all outstanding salary arrears owed to members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) from January 2023 to December 2024.

Speaking on TV3 on Tuesday regarding the latest CETAG strike, Professor Abdulai said the association’s members have already received every pesewa due them under the National Labour Commission’s 2023 arbitration award.

“As we speak, all salary arrears due CETAG from January 2023 to December 2024 have been paid, including all teaching support allowances,” he said, stressing that the government had honoured its financial commitments following CETAG’s migration onto the salary structure of traditional universities.

He noted that the Book and Research Allowance for the 2024/2025 academic year had also been settled at the same rate applied in the universities. “We are left with a one-year book and research allowance from 2023/2024,” he added, saying both government and GTEC were aware of the outstanding amount and were working to clear it.

According to the GTEC Director-General, a total of GHS 610 million was recently paid to cover book and research arrears across universities and colleges of education, compared to GHS 480 million last year.

Professor Abdulai questioned the timing of CETAG’s industrial action, arguing that the association should exercise restraint given the progress made. “If the government has paid this, I think it is a rush for CETAG to go on strike because there are some outstanding arrears,” he said.

CETAG declared a fresh strike over unresolved conditions of service concerns, but GTEC maintains that significant commitments have already been met and further engagements are ongoing.