We Will Not Call Off Strike Until Our Demands Are Met – UG-UTAG

The University of Ghana (UG) chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) says it will not call off its industrial action until demands of the Association are met.

“Members are surprised at the directive for the strike to be called off due to late notification though the NLC deliberately evaded and frustrated the processes to serve them with notification,” the UG-UTAG said in a press release made available to the Ghana News Agency, after a meeting on Monday, January 17, 2022.

The chapter said they were worried about the “unhelpful” posturing of the NLC because their intention to strike had always been in the public domain from the middle of 2021, yet the NLC had not been proactive in resolving the issues.
The Association reiterated the demand that members be restored to the 2013 entry point salary level of the cedi equivalent of 2,084 USD per month.

It said they found the claim by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission that all issues about UTAG’s conditions of service had been resolved simply because a report had been produced, as “diversionary, propagandistic and in a very bad faith.”

The Association said the preparation of a Labour Market Survey report alone did not necessarily lead to improvement in conditions of service and cited a non-implementation of a similar report in 2024.

The University Teachers Association of Ghana on Monday, January 10, 2022, commenced a nationwide strike over “worsening” conditions of service.

The NLC directed the Association to call off its industrial action and resume work after a hearing on Thursday, January 13, 2022.

According to the NLC, the strike by UTAG was illegal as it did not follow due process prescribed by Sub Part II of the Act 651 on the Settlement of industrial disputes, specifically, section 159 on notice of strike.

Source: GNA