Accra TUTAG Members Defy National Executives Stance, To Return To Work Today

The Greater Accra Regional Chapter of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) plans to return to work today [Monday] regardless of the position of its national executives.

“The national executives have the prerogative to speak on behalf of the union… but for me, I am waiting on them until [Monday morning]. If they don't, I will let Accra [TUTAG] start work,” the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of TUTAG, Dr. Ibrahim Zubeiru, told Citi News.

TUTAG declared an indefinite strike on January 6, 2020, in protest of the non-payment of allowances due its members following the conversion of polytechnics to technical universities.

The association was upset that the government did not comply with a ruling by the National Labour Commission (NLC) to ensure that members of the association started receiving allowances due them from December 2019, January 2020 and February 2020.

Technical Universities Administrators Association of Ghana (TUAAG) also joined the strike demanding full benefits of migration onto the public universities' salary structure.

But on January 10, the NLC directed the association to call off its strike .

The directive followed a meeting between the Commission, TUTAG, the Ministries of Finance, Education, Employment and Labour Relations, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Controller and Accountant's General's Department.

The Commission assured that the government would be working to migrate their qualified members to the single spine pay structure and pay them their allowances by January 29.

The NLC also directed that:

• That six (6) out of the eight (8) Technical Universities who submitted their data to the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE_) will be paid their salaries together with the allowances 29th January 2020.
• That the two technical Universities (Sunyani and Tamale) who are yet to submit their data should do so latest by 17th January 2020 to enable the government to pay their salaries and allowances at the end of February 2020.
• The Commission also directs that with this intervention, the TUTAG shall call off their strike with immediate effect and return to work.
• The parties are strongly advised to continue negotiation on the outstanding issues in good faith.

---citinewsroom