The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) will host an emergency meeting today, February 21, to assess their continuing strike.
According to a statement made by the Association’s National Secretary, Dr. Asare Asante-Annor, on Friday, February 18, the scheduled meeting will take place at 4:00pm at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
Last week, the UTAG leadership met with the Education Committee of Parliament, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, the Education Minister, and the Labour Minister.
As a result, the Association is anticipated to commence procedures to end its current strike at today’s meeting.
Injunction
On Tuesday, February 15, the Labour Division of the Accra High Court issued an order prohibiting university professors from striking.
The Court’s decision comes in response to the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) request for an interlocutory injunction to halt UTAG’s strike while discussions continue.
The NLC took UTAG to court after efforts to persuade UTAG to call off its strike were unsuccessful. The lecturers are expected to halt the strike until the Court determines the substantive application by the NLC.
UTAG’s demands
UTAG wants government to restore their 2012 conditions of service, which pegged the monthly income of entry-level lecturers at $2,084.
The Association has claimed that the existing arrangement has cut the basic rates for its members to $997.84.
UTAG has been on strike since January 10, 2022, due to the government’s inability to examine their working conditions since 2017.
Students are still suffering as a result of the teachers’ refusal to back down from their demands.
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SOURCE: myjoyonline