Four labour unions threaten strike over outstanding conditions of service

Four labor unions in Ghana’s public universities have given the government a week to address unresolved conditions of service, or they will go on strike on October 5.

The unions, which include the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU-GH), Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), and University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), want the government to pay their unpaid online teaching support allowance (OTSA) and non-payroll allowances.

The unions want the government, among other things, to implement the March agreement on the implementation of the market premium or review the Single Spine Salary Structure in 2023, as well as settle the payment of the Book and Research Allowance for 2022.

“The Unions also take this opportunity to advice the Employer to be circumspect as we do not take delight in disrupting the academic calendar, nevertheless, when compelled to do so, we will not hesitate.

“Therefore, the Employer should immediately rescind its intension to vary our conditions of service, else, teaching, and related activities on all the campuses will be withdrawn with effect from Wednesday, 5^th October 2022,” portions of a statement released by the unions stated.

The unions noted that they will not condone any action by the employer to disregard the agreed conditions of service.

“UTAG and her sister Unions would wish to entreat the Employer to thread carefully so as not to mar the already jeopardised tertiary education front, as the Labour Unions would not countenance such flagrant disregard of agreed modalities of Conditions of Service.”

The four labour unions said that currently Vice-Chancellors, through their Finance Directors apply the GH¢10.99 ex-pump approved rate just to fuel allowance without considering car maintenance and Off-Campus allowances.

They want such action by the Vice-Chancellors to be addressed or a possible total withdrawal of their services across all Public Universities in Ghana will be the resultant action.

“We know the language that readily seeps in their brain, and we will utter it in one (1) week if they fail to hearken to their own deal with us,” the unions stated in the statement.

Read the full statement below:

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com