UTAG strike: Lecturers to meet NLC today

Professor Solomon Nunoo, the National President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) says the Association is ready to meet the National Labour Commission (NLC) and other stakeholders over its strike.

“We are organising ourselves to meet the Commission on Thursday and we hope our concerns will be addressed,” Prof Nunoo said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, on Tuesday.

The NLC on January 10, 2022, in a statement, invited UTAG, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and Government for a meeting on Thursday, January 13, 2022, over an industrial action declared by UTAG.

The meeting, the NLC stated was in line with its mandate under section 138 of Act 651 and in the exercise of its powers under section 139 of Act 651.

Prof Nunoo, in reaction to complying with section 159 of Act 651, said UTAG submitted its concerns to NLC but was informed by a security officer that the Commission was on break from December 20, 2021, to January 10, 2022, and had to send it by registered mail.

On UTAG’s expectation for the meeting, the National President said the Association remained optimistic to a peaceful resolution of the issues, stressing, “We are hoping that government will meet our demands.”

UTAG, in a communique, announced the withdrawal of members’ services across the country effective Monday, January 10, 2022.

The Association said the indefinite strike was necessitated by the government’s failure to address the worsening conditions of service of lecturers.

It said the Government also flouted the agreed timelines to address their concerns.

The statement called on the Government to, as a matter of urgency, restore members of the Association to the 2013 Interim Market Premium of 114 per cent of Basic Salary in the interim.

It also urged the Government to formulate guidelines to implement the appropriate recommendations to address the conditions of service of the university teacher.