Four labour unions in the public universities have declared their intention to embark on a never-before-seen strike beginning Thursday, October 13, 2022.
“This gives the employer and all stakeholders of tertiary education in Ghana one crucial week to reverse the directive that seeks to negatively compromise the conditions of service of university workers,” they said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), Teachers and Educational Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU) and the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) want the government to settle their outstanding online teaching support allowance (OTSA) and non-payroll allowances.
Amongst other demands, the unions also want government to settle the payment of the Book and Research Allowance for 2022 and implement the agreement reached in March on the implementation of the market premium or review the Single Spine Salary Structure in 2023.
On Wednesday, September 28, the unions met at the University of Professional Studies, Accra where they planned to start the industrial action on October 5.
The reschedule of the commencement date, according to them, is to provide the government some time to relook its “blatant universal variation of agreed conditions of service in the face of the hostile economic conditions.”
“We know the language that easily sinks in their psyche, and we will speak it in one (1) week if they fail to heed to their own agreement with us,” the unions said in a statement issued earlier.
The four labour unions claimed that currently, Vice-Chancellors, through their Finance Directors apply the ¢10.99 ex-pump approved rate only to fuel allowance without considering vehicle 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.
“Meanwhile, the national leadership of the labour unions in the public universities in Ghana entreat all members to stay calm and cooperate with leadership as we navigate this trying moment.”