body-container-line-1

UG senior staff join indefinite strike

Education UG senior staff join indefinite strike
JAN 19, 2024 LISTEN

The University of Ghana chapter of the Senior Staff Association - Universities of Ghana, Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU), and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff (FUSSAG) have joined the indefinite strike declared by the mother union on Wednesday.

The collective action is in response to what the unions have described as poor working conditions that demand urgent attention.

The decision to declare an indefinite strike was a response to the dissatisfaction expressed by the university staff regarding their working conditions.

The strike, which began earlier in the week, has gained momentum with the inclusion of the University of Ghana chapter. Key areas affected by the strike include the Balm Library, University Farms, and Lecture Halls, among others.

The local TEWU Secretary, Naa Zakaria Gumah, who announced the strike, emphasised the severity of the situation, stating that the task force would take decisive action against anyone attempting to obstruct the strike.

SSA-UoG and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff (FUSSAG) have initiated an indefinite strike with immediate effect, citing the government's perceived neglect of their welfare.

The move is a response to several grievances, including the government's alleged failure to address issues concerning pensions and the claimed unauthorised cancellation of their overtime allowance.

During a press briefing at the University of Ghana in Accra on Wednesday, January 17, Mr Isaac Donkoh, the National Chairman of SSA-UoG, underscored that the government should bear the consequences of their decision.

"As leadership, we are compelled to declare indefinite strike action. The reason is that the government has not released our tier 2 pension to our fund managers since February 2023. Urgently, we demand that the government release all outstanding arrears to our fund managers and pay the accrued interest with a three per cent interest rate."

"We also insist that the government reevaluate the accrued interest between 2010 and 2016, as agreed upon on July 25th, 2022. Additionally, we call on the government to promptly settle all outstanding arrears for our pensioned staff from 2020 to 2023. Lastly, we urge the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to retract the letters dated 7th November and 20th November respectively."

"On this note, we direct our members to refrain from reporting to work until further notice. Effective immediately, no one should go to work until further notice," he concluded.

—classfmonline

body-container-line