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The Secretary of the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof. Ransford Gyampo, has expressed the willingness of members to go to prison as a measure to safeguard their interests and that of future generations.
This follows a request by Prof. Gyampo, in an open letter to the finance minister, urging him to factor in the poor conditions of service of university teachers in the 2022 budget before presenting it to parliament.
According to the UG-UTAG secretary, one of the abused refrains used in countering their demands this year, has been the mantra that “we did not factor UTAG demands in the 2021 budget” and for which reason he is reminding Ken Ofori-Atta to do so.
Prof. Ransford Gyampo, in a statement said that “people died to build this country for us” and therefore, in a similar fashion, members of UTAG are “willing to go to prison just to secure the interest of the future generation of University Teachers”.
The statement added that “we will vacate and reopen no more if you treat us with contempt and disrespect once again. Given the increased trust deficit, please be assured that no amount of appeal from whatever quarter would get us to rescind our decision, should we strike again. The last resort may be to get the very moribund National Labor Commission to send us to court again and to seek our imprisonment”.
He took the opportunity to remind the minister that, their strike this year was to get government to restore the salary values of 2013 since the entry point monthly salary of a University Lecturer was a pittance hovering around USD 2,084.
He stressed that the finance minister must not focus on presenting figures to improve the conditions of service of political appointees and their article 71 office holders while expecting University Teachers to accept to live in poverty and poor conditions of service.
“It is my plea that you do not go present eloquent figures for all sectors and forget about the main demand of University Teachers. The MoA signed to increase annual research allowance (not monthly salary) to USD 1600, which works out to about only USD 130 a month top up of our research allowance, has been rejected by UTAG members”, he pleaded.
UTAG strike
UTAG called on its members to resume their suspended strike on Friday, October 8, 2021, over poor conditions of service when their negotiations with the government went into stalemate.
It had earlier 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.
However, the association rescinded its decision after it reached an agreement with the education ministry.
