President of the University of Cape Coast branch of the University Teachers’ Association of Ghana – UTAG, Dr. Bert Boadi Kusi, says UTAG has very slim expectations going into deliberation with the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
He says, “the NLC has already taken a certain posture that UTAG has not followed some procedures even from their letter of invitation.”
Hinged on this posture, he explained that the outcome will either result in the NLC telling UTAG the strike is illegal and must be called off or further discussions must be had at the negotiating table.
Dr. Bert Boadi Kusi was speaking with ATLFMNEWS ahead of UTAG’s meeting with the FWSC and the NLC on Thursday.
The scheduled meeting is for a “hearing of the issues in dispute”.
Government-UTAG impasse
The issue of the enhancement of the conditions of service for members of UTAG has been a long-standing one between government and the association.
In August 2021, the association embarked on a similar strike action requesting government to restore the conditions of service agreed upon in 2012 which it said was far better than what pertains currently.
The 2012 conditions of service pegged the Basic plus Market Premium of a lecturer at $2,084.42.
UTAG has complained that the current arrangement has reduced its members’ basic premiums to $997.84.
Following a 2021 strike action, a Memorandum of Agreement signed by government and UTAG, led both parties agreeing to the need to get back to the negotiating table from the week beginning Monday, August 23, 2021.
During the period, government and UTAG were among other things, required to negotiate the research component of the Book and Research Allowance, market premium, and non-basic allowance.
UTAG says government flouted the agreed timelines to address their concerns.
Students appeal to government
Some students of UCC have appealed to government to resolve the issue with the striking university teachers. Most of the students, who are freshly enrolled, noted it was sad the strike had to be called just when they had reported to school. They maintained that in order not to disrupt the academic calendar, government must act to resolve matters.
Read: UCC: Students appeal to gov’t to address concerns of university teachers
On his part, President of the SRC- UCC, Samuel Kwabena Adotei told ATLFMNEWS the meeting between UTAG and the NLC must be a result-oriented one.
He noted that the strike had the tendency to prolong the academic calendar and since students become the worst affected in such situations, the meeting between the striking lecturers and government must produce results for academic work to commence.
The University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (UTAG), in a statement on January 6, 2022, directed its members across the fifteen (15) branches in the country to suspend all teaching and learning activities until further notice with effect from Monday, January 10, 2022.
According to UTAG, the declaration of the indefinite strike is necessitated by government’s inability to address the worsening conditions of service of members of the association.
Source: Rosemond Asmah/ATLFMNEWS
