Members of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) are mounting pressure on leadership to declare a nationwide strike.
They are asking for urgent measures to resolve a tussle over conditions of service in some of the technical universities.
Members at the Bolgatanga Technical University are already on strike in demand for implementation of agreed end of service benefits.
National leaders of TUTAG have scheduled an emergency congress for Friday for a decision to be taken on collective industrial action.
“Initially, after the agreement, some of the universities started implementing it. Those who have retired have been paid based on the understanding but some of the Universities including Bolgatanga are trying to give different meaning and that it where the problem is.”
President of TUTAG, Prof. Collins Ameyaw said. According to the TUTAG, Section 42 (6) of the TechnicalUniversities Act 2016 (Act 922) as amended, indicates persons in the employment of a polytechnic prior to the coming into force of the Act, shall be deemed to have been duly employed by the respective Technical University.
Last year, following a strike in demand for improved conditions of service, it was resolved that years served under polytechnics are continued under technical universities. But authorities at the Bolgatanga Technical University have failed to follow the directive, leading to a strike by the teaching staff. President of Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana, Prof. Collins Ameyaw is unhappy about the misunderstanding in some universities.
“According to the law, the service to the technical university is a continued service. There was no point the service was truncated. We were not paid off during the conversion, we were not given new appointment letters it was a continuation process,” he said.
Presently, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission is seeking interpretation of Section 42(6) of the Act from the Attorney Generaland Minister of Justice. In a letter sighted by JoyNews, GTEC noted retiring staff who served in the polytechnic era be paid two separate retirement benefits.
But TUTAG disagrees, “if the interpretation of Bolgatanga Technical University is accepted, those who have been paid will have to be called back to refund the benefits. All Technical Universities will be affected by the decision and we struggled to attain this.”
Until urgent steps are taken to resolve the issues, TUTAG is likely to resort to a nationwide strike.
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