The Vice Chairman of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union under the Trades Union Congress (TEWU-TUC) at Kumasi Technical University has strongly dismissed the ongoing strike by the breakaway group, TEWU-GH, calling the action baseless and illegal.
According to Kyei Effah Kwabena, TEWU-GH has no legal grounds to go on strike because they lack a bargaining certificate and are not recognized by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) as a separate union.
“If they believe they’ve been treated unfairly, they should take it to court. Striking is not the solution. It’s someone’s personal interest driving all this,” he stated.
He further suggested that the government should intervene to stop the impunity, saying “they should deduct from their salaries for the number of days they refuse to work. That will serve them right.”
The strike by the Tertiary Education Workers Union, Ghana (TEWU-GH) began after GTEC denied them representation on university governing councils, citing that only TEWU-TUC, which holds the official bargaining certificate, has the legal right to represent non-teaching staff.
Chairman of TEWU-TUC at KsTU, John Esiabah believes TEWU-GH’s strike holds no weight.
He emphasized that unless they amend the union constitution and secure a bargaining certificate, they cannot legally demand council representation.
“They should go and look for a bargaining certificate. Then let us do a constitutional amendment that will allow them to go on council without any problem,” he said.
Meanwhile, JoyNews checks at KNUST revealed the industrial action by TEWU-GH has limited impact. The campus remains clean and services fully operational, indicating not all university branches support the TEWU-GH action.
TEWU-TUC urges TEWU-GH to calm down, reunite with the mother union, and work together in peace to resolve the issues and move forward.
