The Senior Staff Association of Ghana, University of Cape Coast Chapter, officially joins the nationwide indefinite strike as declared by its National Executives.
Despite the national nature of the declaration, the local leadership at UCC says the push for better conditions of service and pension security is a fight they cannot ignore.
SSA- UoG, UCC Local Chairman, Christopher Aggrey, says the “betrayal” regarding overtime allowances by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) was the final straw in their negotiations with the government. Mr. Aggrey explains that the shift from overtime to a so-called “Call-in” allowance is not only alien but also a direct violation of their signed 2021 agreement.
“This allowance is being altered unilaterally by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, and they have started issuing directives to some universities to implement what they have instituted. They call it ‘Call-in.’ It is very alien to us. We don’t know where that came from. They are saying that we, the senior staff, are not eligible. We have proved to them that we are indeed eligible and are qualified to take this allowance. However, all attempts to get this agreed on have proven futile.”
The SSA- UoG, UCC Local is also standing in solidarity with staff at the University of Media, Arts, and Communication (UniMAC)—the specialized institution formed by the merging of Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), and Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL). He said UniMAC has waited for four years for their salary scales to be regularized.
Another critical issue for UCC members, according to Mr. Aggrey, is the safety of their retirement. He notes that the government has failed to pay Tier-2 pension contributions for the last five months of 2024.
Mr. Aggrey said, “Government is not paying to our fund managers. When government pays to their fund managers, they also invest these funds and then get some interest, so that they can give us something appreciable at the time of our retirement. Here is the case: from 2024 August to December, the government has not paid. We have followed up with the Ministry of Finance. We have asked the fund managers. They have written a series of letters, but to no avail. So, we feel that we are being robbed of something or things that are rightfully ours.”
Mr. Aggrey noted they are picking up “signals” that other benefits, like leave periods, might be touched next if care is not taken. He has urged all senior staff at UCC—including those in the university basic schools—to strictly adhere to the strike directive.
He warns that a local task force is monitoring compliance and that any member found on duty does so at their own peril. “When the task force comes around and meets you, you meet the consequences thereof. So, I urge all members to adhere strictly to this directive. It includes all, all senior staff. So far as you are a senior staff, wherever you are does not matter; once you are a senior staff, you are bound to comply.”
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