University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), has called on its members to resume their suspended strike on Friday, October 8, 2021, over poor conditions of service.
According to them, their decision has become key since their negotiations with the government have been in stalemate despite a one month moratorium .
In a communique signed and issued by both national president and secretary of UTAG, Prof Solomon Nunoo and Dr. Asare Asante-Annor to its members on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, UTAG indicated that their decision was taken into consideration after fruitful discussions with its members to resume to work after one month of suspension.
“Following the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with the Employer to complete the negotiations on the Conditions of Service of University Teachers within one (1) month by resolving all outstanding issues, which formed the basis for suspending the strike”
“It is sad to report that the one-month moratorium has elapsed and the negotiation has almost reached a stalemate unfortunately, within the one-month moratorium, the Employer never shifted its position even though UTAG made a number of concessions”, the statement noted.
They stressed that “for this reason, the National Executive Committee of UTAG at its meeting held on October 1, 2021, resolved that if the Employer’s position remains unchanged by Friday, 8th of October 2021, members should resume the suspension of teaching and related activities until further notice.”
It is recalled that members of UTAG embarked on a strike since the beginning of August 2021 because they wanted the government to restore the conditions of service agreed upon in 2012 which they said was far better than the current situation.
They supported their stance with the 2012 Single Spine package which gives entry-level lecturers a salary of $2,084 while the current level puts lecturers’ salaries around $900.
This move by UTAG affected academic and some non-academic work at the various tertiary campuses.
Following this, High Court’s Labour Division, 1, advised the National Labour Commission (NLC), and UTAG, to settle the stalemate over their industrial action out of Court.
Below is a copy of the UTAG statement:
