The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has expressed the need for government to be serious in its base pay negotiations with organized labour.

According to the association, there have been several engagements with the Employer and the National Labour Commission (NLC) with the view to resolving the ongoing impasse. Nevertheless, it indicated that these have yielded no meaningful results.

In light of this, UTAG has called on the Employer and the NLC to be more proactive in expediting discussions to bring closure to the industrial action, in order not to destabilize the 2022/2023 academic calendar.

“Government must be serious in its Base Pay negotiations with Organised Labour. Given the current inflation and economic miserisation of the ordinary Ghanaian worker, UTAG fully supports the proposal for Base Pay and relativity increase of 60 and 2 percent, respectively, and call on all Labour Unions in Ghana to remain resolute in supporting leadership in the fight for living wage and better Conditions of Service.”
UTAG

Following the two-day meeting at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), to among others, discuss critical issues of importance to University Teachers in Ghana, including the state of the industrial action embarked upon on 17th October 2022, UTAG noted that the industrial action must continue unabated. That notwithstanding, it revealed that all essential services listed by the various local unions and branches of the Association, must continue to remain outside the purview of the strike action.

Budget review by UTAG

A review of the 2023 budget statement by UTAG points to a “unilinear imposition of more austerity” measures that are likely to negatively impact the already impoverished public sector worker. With this, the association extended its support to the several calls for downsizing of government as a show of sacrifice in an attempt to restore economic stability.

“We are mindful of the impact of industrial harmony on productivity, and it is our utmost desire to maintain industrial peace in order to boost productivity and increase our work quality. We urge the Employer and other policy makers to also cherish same values of respect and commitment to agreements signed, that produces industrial harmony among labour unions.”
UTAG

Highlighting on a consensus to review the Single Spine Salary Structure, UTAG called on government to implement the 2019 Labour Market Survey Report and other key interventions to improve the Conditions of Service of its members beginning 2023. These agreements reached, it explained, have been signed and are not subject to renegotiation in any form or shape.

“We call on the Employer to prepare for their implementation in January 2023 as already agreed. We warn or serve notice that there would be more industrial action from our members, and the ranks of other labour unions, should Government fail to adhere to its own agreements with us, and/or appreciate our magnanimous proposals and recommendations.”
UTAG

UTAG appreciated the difficult conditions that the country finds itself in which had led to the delays in the payment of the 2021/2022 Book and Research Allowances (BRA). Nonetheless, it expressed the urgency for the Employer to put measures in place to ensure that this does not recur.