Academic activities at the Dr Hilla Limann Technical University (DHLTU) have come to a halt following an indefinite strike declared by the university’s chapter of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG).
The industrial action, which began on Tuesday, April 8, is a result of the university management’s prolonged failure to address key concerns raised by the association over the past two years.
In an interview with Channel One TV, Chairman of TUTAG-DHLTU, Samadu Kamwine, stated that the decision to strike came after repeated engagements with both the university’s management and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) failed to yield positive results.
While management has paid two months of Online Teaching Support Allowance (OTSA) arrears, it has yet to provide a definitive timeline for clearing the remaining 32 months, down from 34 months following partial payments.
In a letter dated April 4, 2025, the association officially informed management of its intention to strike, citing several unresolved issues.
Among them is management’s unfulfilled promise, made on March 13, 2025, to settle OTSA arrears and the absence of an agreed payment schedule.
TUTAG is also demanding the immediate disbursement of the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) portion of the End of Service Benefit (ESB) for retired staff, which has faced significant delays.
Additionally, members have not received their OTSA for the first quarter of 2025—covering January to March.
The association pointed to worsening teaching and learning conditions.
Mr Kamwine highlighted the lack of basic Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) such as projectors in lecture halls, a poorly equipped computer lab with mostly broken-down machines, and a severe shortage of sewing machines in the Fashion Design Studio, where nearly 200 students share just 20 machines.
He stressed that the strike is not aimed at the central government or the Ministry of Education, but squarely at DHLTU’s management, whom he accused of poor leadership and neglect of staff welfare.
“We’ve done everything possible, including engaging GTEC, but management’s continued silence and inaction have left us with no option but to lay down our tools,” Mr Kamwine said.
The impact of the strike is already being felt across the university.
However, TUTAG says it remains open to dialogue and is willing to adjust the academic calendar to recover lost contact hours if its concerns are promptly addressed.
