A Labour Court in Accra will hear a contempt case filed by the National Labour Commission (NLC) against the leadership of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) later this [Monday] morning.
The Commission obtained an interlocutory order from the court on Friday, August 6, to force UTAG to end their strike, which began on Monday, August 2, 2021.
UTAG, on the other hand, has refused to comply with the order, suggesting that the premise is incorrect.
While the NLC claims that UTAG cannot stay on strike while talks with the government are continuing, UTAG maintains that no active negotiations have presently taking place between them and the government.
In an interview , Prof. Charles Marfo, President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana, said that they had also initiated procedures to get the injunction lifted.
“[Our] legal team also filed [an application]. NLC urged the court to set aside the injunction. We think that the injunction was not properly served and so it is now a matter for the court to determine. The NLC says that we cannot be negotiating while on strike, but our position is that given what has transpired between us and government, there is no negotiation ongoing unless they want to now call us to begin negotiation.”
He said that UTAG’s leadership would be available if the government invites them to the negotiating table.
“If the government wants to engage us, we are willing and ready to engage government,” he noted.
UTAG members have been on strike since the beginning of August, demanding that the government restore the service conditions agreed upon in 2012, which they claim are much superior to the present situation.
The 2012 Single Spine package paid entry-level professors $2,084, while the current level pays lecturers approximately $900.
The UTAG strike has had a significant impact on academic and non-academic activities at different tertiary institutions.
Read Also: Ghana’s proposed anti-LGBTQI law is a “recipe for bloodshed,” – UN experts
