The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and other labour unions working in public universities in Ghana have suspended their about two months-old strike action.
The unions have been on strike since October 17 in demand of better conditions of service after they accused government of unilaterally varying an agreed conditions of service.
The unions are: University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Tertiary Education Workers Union (TEWU), Senior Staff Association of the University of Ghana (SSA-UoG), Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), and Federation of University Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG).
A statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, signed by the leadership of the labour unions, was emphatic that “the ongoing industrial action is suspended with immediate effect”.
Since the declaration of the industrial action, the statement said, the leadership engaged the government, which is the employer and the National Labour Commission on several occasions to address the impasse.
“At a meeting held on Thursday, 8th December 2022, the Employer accepted that it had unilaterally varied the conditions of service of staff of public universities without recourse to them.
“The Labour Unions then agreed to a roadmap for the payment of all outstanding arrears resulting from the unilateral variation of the Off-Campus and Vehicle Maintenance Allowances.
“In addition, the Employer assured the Labour Unions to resolve all outstanding issues related to the conditions of service of the aggrieved Labour Unions. Thus, we wish to announce that the ongoing industrial action is suspended with immediate effect.”
The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) last week called on the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to find amicable solution to what they called unhealthy strike actions facing universities in the country.
“The consequence of these mass strike actions is devastating with major academic and administrative activities such as teaching, marking, transcript release, admission processes, graduation processes affected. Tertiary education in Ghana has almost been brought to a halt.
“Even more disheartening is the impact on private Universities who are affiliated to various public Universities now unable to graduate students due to striking actions in the mentoring public universities who are to facilitate these processes,” the students body said.