Bright Wireko-Brobbey, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, has disclosed that the Minister of Education in collaboration with the Finance Ministry are determined to ensure the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) calls off its strike.
According to him, the substantive problem based on which members of UTAG embarked on the strike has not been resolved.
His comments follow complaints by final year students of the Universities following the ongoing strike by UTAG.
The students argue that, if the strike goes unabated, it will compound their activities as they would have to juggle writing their exams and attending to their project works while undertaking the mandatory National Service.
“We have so far not even gone to the substantive matter, its being quite much of a legal tussle.
“My minister, the Education Minister and the Finance Minister are all poised to resolve this but sitting together they must call off the strike and then we come to the table to continue to talk.”
Bright Wireko-Brobbey
Education Ministry appeals to UTAG
A student at the University of Ghana explained that the strike has left students in a sorry state as there are no supervisors available to attend to the project works of final year students.
“We keep going back to the indefiniteness of the whole thing [strike]. The University’s response so far has been ‘the suspension of exams and adjournment of reopening for the next cohort.’ That has added to how uncertain things have become for us”.
UG student
Following this, the Deputy Employment Minister appealed to the leadership of UTAG to review their decision by calling off its strike. This, he explained, will enable the smooth running of the academic calendar.
“So let me use your medium to appeal to the Leadership of UTAG that it is the students that are at stake now. They are complaining that the academic calendar is getting derailed, everybody is worried. If you will use negotiations and discussions to resolve your matter, why be on strike at the detriment of these poor students”.
Bright Wireko-Brobbey
UTAG’s strike resolution process
On his part, Samuel N. Nkumbaan, the UTAG President of Legon, indicated that although the Association has no qualms calling off the strike by engaging with government, they cannot make that decision due to the legal issue they are confronted with.
“We cannot be in court and then be sitting on a negotiation table. With what mindset are we going to negotiate? What is the negotiation between us and government as well as each agency which is the Labour Commission? And so we are not in the position until such cases in court are determined”.
Samuel N. Nkumbaan
Additionally, Mr Nkumbaan noted that UTAG is not negotiating because negotiations have broken down. As such, the only decision they are left to make to get their grievances across is by striking.
Earlier, UTAG had expressed its decision on not resuming work despite an injunction sought by the National Labour Commission against their industrial action.
The National Secretary, Dr K. K. Abavare, in a statement indicated that UTAG has received resolutions from all thirteen member public institutions mandating the continuation of the strike action.
The government had said it was confident the concerns of the Association will be resolved.
However, negotiations broke down when both sides showed no commitment to back down on their demands.
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