The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT)and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) have instructed their members to stay off the classroom from Monday, March 18, 2013. The giant teacher associations are peeved with the Ghana Education Service Management and Government, for what they describe as gross disregard for its concerns and a breach of trust. They declared the industrial action at a joint news conference in Accra on Friday. In an exclusive interview with Myjoyonline.com the Upper East Regional Secretary of NAGRAT, Michael Ayula-bon Zibey noted that the association’s intended strike action in January 2013 was called off following the intervention of the Chief of Staff and Executive secretary to President Mahama. Subsequently, “an agreement was reached with NAGRAT National Officers at a meeting convened by the Chief of Staff, Mr. Prosper Banini, at the Seat of Government on the 22nd of January 2013. A working group to address the association’s concerns was going to be constituted within 6weeks,” he noted. In spite of “the firm promise that the working group will be constituted and commissioned on 12th February, 2013 at 2pm, as at March 13 2013, when the National Council of NAGRAT met in Accra, the Six weeks requested by government had elapsed, but the Working group had neither been constituted nor commissioned”, he emphasised. Mr. Ayula-bon Zibey, enumerated some of their concerns as salary discrepancies, non-generation of payslips, failure of their employer, the Ghana Education Service, (GES) to capture some responsibilities in the Single Spine Salary Structure and negotiate realistic invigilation allowances with the West African Examinations Council, WAEC. Asked what will become the fate of the two batches of third and fourth finalists writing the on-going WASSCE, Mr. Ayula-bon said “GES and Government will think of what to do”. Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the GES, Paul Krampah has told Myjoyonline.com that the GES authorities are going into a crunch meeting with the Fair Wages Commission to address the situation.