The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has temporarily suspended its seven-week old industrial strike due to what it described as overwhelming appeals from student groups, the general public, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education and some eminent leaders.
Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, UTAG President Professor Solomon Nunoo said the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Association at an Emergency Meeting on February 21, 2022, resolved to heed the pleas and suspended the strike until March 4, 2022.
This, he indicated, will enable UTAG to engage with government over the poor conditions of service of university teachers, which have triggered their action.
Professor Nunoo however served notice that UTAG will not hesitate to resume the strike action if government reneges on its commitments at the end of the specified period of negotiations.
“At the end of the meeting, the NEC of UTAG resolved to heed to the pleas of the eminent leaders, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, and other stakeholders to temporarily suspend the strike action up to Fourth March 2022, to engage with the Employer”, Prof Nunoo stressed.
He urged members of UTAG to rally behind leadership and remain calm and resolute.
Prof. Nunoo said he was hopeful that with the involvement of the Parliamentary Select Committee and other eminent persons including former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Sir Sam Jonah and the National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, the government will carry through its promises this time around.
“At many forums, the employer has agreed with stakeholders that there is the need to improve the Conditions of Service of University Teachers. Thus, we are cautiously optimistic that the Government will do the needful to improve the working conditions of the University Teacher.
“We know that Government has not fulfilled its part of the bargain in many signed agreements in the recent past. However, with the involvement of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education and other eminent persons, we expect that Government will carry through its promises this time round.
“We therefore call on the Government to take advantage of this window to help improve the salary and general working conditions of the University Teacher. Lastly, we call on Government to see to the implementation of the several agreements that have been signed in recent times”, Prof. Nunoo added.
He further disclosed that members of UTAG at its 15 member universities were yet to vote on the decision to suspend the strike.
According to him, the decisions universities would be made known to the press as soon as the process was completed.
Lost time
Responding to a question about whether UTAG members would work extra hours to make up for lost contact hours and help restore the academic calendar, Prof Nunoo said that decision could only be made by the management of universities.
“Only the management of universities; the Vice-1Chancellor, the Academic Board and the University Council can make decisions about contact hours,” he explained.
Existing court cases
Prof Nunoo stated that negotiations with government will not affect its ongoing court case challenging an injunction placed on the strike by the High Court.
He indicated that the ongoing court case pertaining to the strike action will be pursued to a logical conclusion.
“These are two different issues, one is to negotiate and the other is about the legality of our strike. On our part, we will continue fighting the case in court because we believe it’s the right thing to do and we need to bring finality to these things because we believe it is something labour must get done and we are getting it done”, Prof Nunoo concluded.
