Organized labor has directed all striking teacher unions to call off the about two-week-old industrial action following the government’s decision to pay 15% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) all public sector workers.

The government met the demands of the labor unions on Thursday, July 14, after initial back and forth over the 20% COLA demand by public sector workers.

In an interview with Omanhene Yaw Adu Boakye on Sompa TV, Friday edition of Ade Akye Abia, the president of Ghana National Association of Teachers, Reverend Isaac Owusu said, the payment of the cost-of-living allowance will commence from July 1^st to December 2022.

“Payment starts from July and ends in December because there will be a renegotiation of salary increment, having increased it by 7%, the cola is an area of the stipends we were supposed to enjoy during the pandemic, so its just 6 months, we will negotiate for salary increment in 2023, he told Omanhene.

According to the agreement reached between the two parties, the government and the leaders of the unions agreed on a 15% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) to take retrospective effect from July 1, 2022.

“The Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) will be paid at a rate of 15 percent of base pay. That the effective date of the payment of COLA is 1st July 2022,” Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah announced on Thursday.

The government delegation that met and agreed on the 15% COLA included, the Minister for National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Adutwum, Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffler Awuah and Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Attah

Details of the agreement reached between government and the labour front.

Source…www.sompaonline.com/Eric Murphy Asare