The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Majority in Parliament has urged the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to call off its strike and return to the lecture halls whilst negotiations continue to find a lasting solution to the five-week industrial action.
The caucus prevailed on UTAG to consider the plights of students and the assurances from the government to enable the students to achieve their goals for the betterment of the country.
“We ask that they (UTAG) sympathise with the plight of our students so that the academic calendar is not unduly disrupted. The Majority caucus is accordingly humbly pleading with UTAG to please, please, please get back to the classrooms”, Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin pleaded.
Speaking to journalists in Parliament on the issue, the Deputy Majority Leader on behalf of the majority caucus also appealed to the government to speed up negotiations to bring finality to the impasse.
“At the same time, we’re also urging the government to continue to show good faith and cooperate and ensure that there is consensus on the demands of UTAG so that this matter is dealt with once and for all”, he added.
Court orders UTAG
The Labour Division of the Accra High Court has put an injunction on the strike by the University Teachers Association of Ghana.
The court, presided over by Justice Frank Aboadwe Rockson last Tuesday ordered UTAG to halt the five-week strike and return to the lecture halls.
The order followed an application for an interlocutory injunction by the National Labour Commission (NLC).
Per the orders of the court, UTAG must suspend its strike until the final determination of an application by the NLC, seeking to enforce its orders for UTAG to call off its strike and return to the negotiation table with the government.
It would be recalled that UTAG began an indefinite strike on January 10, 2022 in response to what it said was due to “the worsening conditions of service of the university teacher and the failure of the employer in addressing the plight of UTAG members within the agreed timelines.”
UTAG seeks Akufo-Addo’s intervention
The General Secretary of the University of Ghana chapter of UTAG, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to personally intervene to resolve their salary issues.
According to him, UTAG does not trust any of the government officials to handle the situation and therefore, call on the president to intervene.
“By our own conduct and by our own conditions of service, we’ve not been able to speak forcefully about the fact that we don’t have many resources because if you look at how appointees behave and the resources that go to Article 71 officeholders and others, people look at all these things and make comparisons.
“It has gotten to that point where labour cannot trust any office appointees that are involved in this (negotiations),” he stated.
