UTAG strike: Members Meeting with government ends inconclusively
Meeting between UTAG and government
A negotiations meeting between the government and members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana, UTAG, over its ongoing labour action ended in a stalemate on Wednesday, August 4, 2021.
On Monday, August 2nd, the Universities Teachers Association of Ghana embarked on an indefinite strike in a bid to demand improvements to their conditions of services, an issue which they said has been on the negotiation table for a very long time.
The situation has unfortunately affected academic activities in various universities across the country as students are left stranded with their studies. Managements of some of the universities are warning that they will close down the schools if the strike goes beyond a two week period.
In a bid to resolve the situation, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations engaged the University Teachers Association on Tuesday seeking to find a possible resolution to the standoff.
However, Professor Charles Marfo, the National President of UTAG, has the government could not meet their demands at the meeting.
“I’m sure if [sic] government shows [sic] commitment of meeting any of it, definitely we will call off the strike. What they proposed was just not right. They committed that to the NEC and the NEC directed that we go back to our various branches and share with our members, and they will tell us the way forward,” he said.
The association says it is willing to enter into further negotiations with the government and expect workable solutions to be proposed by the government. It says though its demands may seem excessive to the government, it is ready to come to a consensus if the government brings something reasonable.
UTAG is demanding the implementation of a 2012 Single Spine package which put entry-level lecturers on a salary of $2,084, while the senior staffers want the computation and release of their tier 2 Pension in arrears with interest.
It insists that the current conditions of service of its members are worse compared to what they enjoyed some nine years ago.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
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