Politics Of Labour Union Agitations In Ghana’s Fourth Republic: A Case Study Of The National Association Of Graduate Teachers’ (NAGRAT- GHANA)

ABSRTACT Various governments of Ghana both past and present have to deal with one labour unrest or the other most times. The problem is even worst at the education sector, where such unrest affects teaching and learning in schools, colleges and even universities, leading to time lost on academic calendar which can never be regained. To verify these concerns, views were sampled from union members and leadership of NAGRAT through a structured questionnaire, the internet, the press and related studies that had been conducted so far. Among the important findings were that union members trust that their leaders were working for their betterment, that unrest occur when it does but not because any particular party is in power or not. The study recommends that government or employers must collaborate with union leaders to address the numerous challenges such as disparities in wages and salaries, poor working conditions, inadequate logistics to solve the problem rather than using the propagandists approach. The significance of this research includes adding to existing literature on labour agitation. Its recommendations can inform policy makers on ways to help solve some of these agitations within the educational sector. Academically, further research can be conducted based on this work. Labour agitations such as demonstrations, strikes and lockouts have consequential effects on students in particular and the nation at large which can never be regain. The research recommends that governments must stop the blame game of accusing opposition parties of instigating unions to agitate but rather dialogue with unions dispassionately to solve labour related problems.