The Western Regional General Secretary for the NPP, Charles Bissue, has appealed to the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to understand government on the issue of their wages and strike. He explained that although their call for their wages to be increased is in the right direction, the economy is currently not in the position to fulfill their demands.
Mr. Bissue called for further engagement with the institutions involved to deliberate on issues and how to find a solution to the problem. He added that government is doing well with the situation although it hasn’t gotten an accepted solution yet.
“For me I believe that the government has to sit with them [UTAG] and negotiate and I think that is what is happening. Looking at the economic situation in the country, I will plead with them to understand the government.
“I think we need to engage this institution [UTAG]. [However] if UTAG does it and get what they want, another group will come up and it will mean that government will be using the jack where are you leverage. The demand is legitimate but it is not in tandem with the economic situation”.
Charles Bissue
His comments follow an indication by the Ministry of Education that the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has rescinded its decision to embark on a strike action following an agreement reached with the Ministry of Education.
·UTAG Strike suspension: Some of us are negotiation fatigued- Prof Ransford Gyampo
·Real results haven’t been achieved- UTAG on strike negotiation
UTAG members to meet
Also sharing his view on the issue, Professor Ransford Gyampo, Associate Professor and lecturer at the University of Ghana, revealed that UTAG will sit and deliberate on the decision taken so far by government and some of the leaders of UTAG.
He also disclosed that some members lamented about not being consulted about the decision between UTAG and government but found out through a leaked release.
“I think yesterday UTAG issued a statement that indefinitely suspended the strike which never commenced. The strike was supposed to commence today because they had gone to sign an MoU with the government on certain things. Immediately they signed the MoU, even before communicating to members, the MoU leaked. The first one you remember that suspended the strike, members were not aware of it and this one also leaked and some members were furious.
“Yes, UTAG and NEC met and by majority decision they decided to go with what has been signed. What people do not know is that UTAG belongs to the ordinary university and not its elected leaders and so whatever has been signed and agreed on will be discussed with ordinary lecturers. And it is what the ordinary lecturers will say which will give support or opposition to what has been signed. It is not over yet, University of Ghana, for instance, we will meet members and it is what they say. If they vote to support what has been signed, so be it, but if they vote to oppose it then you should know. They have tasked the leaders to do something, so when we meet, we will know if we have a finality on this or the battle has just started”.
Professor Gyampo
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