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The leadership of four major labour unions, including the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), in the country’s public universities have declared an indefinite strike, starting Monday, October 17.
This is due to the rejection of a “suggestion” by government as regards their demands, made at a meeting hosted by the National Labour Commission (NLC) last Friday, October 14.
The meeting was to settle the Fuel, Vehicle Maintenance and Off-Campus Allowances demanded by the four labour unions – UTAG, Teachers and Educational Workers Union-Ghana (TEWU-GH), Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG).
In a notice of strike released on Sunday, October 16, the labour unions said the employer “has, once again, failed to adhere to the directive of the NLC”.
They indicated that the meeting called by the Commission ended “in a stalemate” as a result of government’s representatives’ inability to present the “terms of payment” for the Vehicle Maintenance and Off-Campus Allowance.
The Commission had given the parties one week within which to conclude negotiations and report back.
“It is important to note that up until the NLC hearing, the Employer had not responded to any of the letters of the labour unions or the request of the Commission for the Employer to respond to the complaints of the labour unions,” the joint notice released by the four labour unions said.
They noted how the employer, represented at the meeting by the Minister of Education, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations and one of his deputies, a Deputy Minister of Finance, the Chief Executive of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Director General of Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, rather suggested the formation of a 10-member committee to address the Off-Campus Allowance.
“The leaders of the labour unions rejected the ‘suggestion’ and rather pushed for the enforcement of the 2022 adjusted fuel ex-pump rate of GH¢10.99, thus, the meeting ended in a stalemate.
“As a result of the development, we write to communicate that the intended strike action of all Labour Unions in the public universities in Ghana is to commence from Monday, 17th October 2022 as the Employer has, once again, failed to adhere to the directive of the NLC.”
