The Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has expressed its intention to participate in the intended strike action declared by labour unions in the Public Universities in Ghana with effect from Thursday, 13th October, 2022.
Contained in a statement, signed by the General Secretary of TEWU, Mark Denkyira, the union revealed that it hopes the employer and all stakeholders of tertiary education in Ghana will ensure a “reversal of the directive that seeks to negatively compromise the Conditions of Service of Public University Workers in Ghana”.
“Leadership of Teachers and Workers Union support and actively participate in the intended strike action declared by labour union in the public universities in Ghana with effect from Thursday 13th October, 2022″
TEWU
Meanwhile, TEWU has entreated members in the public universities to be “calm and look up to leadership for further directives in these trying moments”.
TEWU joins the University Teacher Association of Ghana (UTAG), Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), Federation of Universities Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSAG) and Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) to declare a strike action.
Teachers Unions declare strike action
Prior to this, a joint statement issued which followed the Press Conference by UTAG, GAUA, SSA-UoG, and TEWU-GH with FUSSAG in attendance on Wednesday, 28th September, 2022, at the University of Professional Studies, indicated that the National Leadership of the four Labour Unions have had a series of engagements between some stakeholders of tertiary education in Ghana, including Vice Chancellors Ghana (VCG).
The Unions had earlier called on government to restore their conditions of service as agreed earlier this year or withdraw their services. National President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Professor Solomon Nunoo, in a press conference on September 28, 2022 stated that if government fails to act, the unions “know the language that easily sinks in their psyche, and we will speak it in one week if they fail to heed to their own agreement with us”.
The unions expressed their displeasure at the apparent unilateral decisions taken by government in varying their conditions of service. They claim letters written to draw attention to the anomalies have not been responded to.
The national leadership of the labour unions, however, gave their employers “one crucial week” to rescind the decision that seeks to negatively affect the conditions of service of their members.
Prior to the conference, the unions expressed the need for government to settle their outstanding Online Teaching Support Allowance (OTSA) and non-payroll allowances. Professor Solomon Nunoo, urged their Employer to pay them their book and research allowance to aid lecturers in effectively discharging their duties.
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