The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has formally notified the National Labour Commission (NLC) about their intended strike over conditions of service.
The notice according to UTAG is in compliance with the requirements of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) Section 159, which requires either party intending to take strike action or institute a lockout to give written notice to the other party and the Commission within seven days.
In a letter addressed to NLC, UTAG said it is magnanimously giving notice to the employer 21 days as a grace period to address their concerns, or they will proceed immediately on strike on the 22nd day from the date of this letter.
The Association said their decision has been informed by negotiations on the conditions of service, which have remained stagnant and have created undue pressure and tensions across school campuses.
UTAG indicated that they made diligent attempts to facilitate the conclusion of these negotiations and ensure their implementation in January 2024, but all efforts have failed.
“Most importantly, the employer/government does not take the negotiations on our CoS seriously, and the Ministry of Finance, in particular, continues sending representatives with no effective mandate and authority to make commitments during the negotiations,” UTAG noted.
The association also noted, among other things, that there have been deliberate distortions of aspects of the Memoranda of Agreements (MoAs) by their employers.
Additionally, UTAG stressed that although there was an agreement signed on March 3, 2022, to allow universities to pay a component of the agreed-upon Online Teaching Support Allowance (OTSA) from their internally generated funds, the schools have not honoured that agreement.
Below is the full statement:
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