大象传媒

All around the world, workers are striking. On Thursday in the UK, nurses began the first of two days of industrial action. In the following days public transport workers, postal workers, airport staff, border force employees are expected to stop work. In South Africa, public sector workers have been on strike and airport security staff are planning walk-outs in Australia.

In the US and Ghana, educators have also been on strike. Dr. Benedicta Yayra Fosu-Mensah, a senior research fellow at the University of Ghana, and Regina Fuentes, an English teacher at the Columbus Education Association in Ohio, in the US, have both decided to take action. 大象传媒 Outside Source spoke to them to find out what it is like to work in the education sector and why they chose to strike.

"We've put up with the infrastructure failing, resources not being available...we've just put up with that far too long," says Regina Fuentes.

"We decided to use our contract negotiation to push for change." she adds.

Dr. Benedicta Yayra Fosu-Mensah says, "I went on strike because government have arbitrarily varied our conditions of service without recourse to us."

"For our case in Ghana, industrial action, though it's not best, it seems to be the only language our government understands." she says.

With the rising cost of living many teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to live on a teacher's salary.

"A new teacher starting out in Ohio will struggle the teachers'' salary," says Miss Fuentes. "Not only are you trying to survive...but you're most likely to be paying off your school loans that you've accrued having gone to University."

"An average lecturer in Ghana is barely taking home around $600 equivalent." says Dr. Benedicta Yayra Fosu-Mensah. "I think that, that is really not so good for a profession like a lecturer"

(Photo: A teacher at Malden High School raises a Fair Contract Now! sign during a strike. Credit: Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe/Getty Images)

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