Professor Ransford Gyampo
Professor Ransford Gyampo of the University of Ghana’s Political Science Department has revealed that the Vice President and three ministers were crucial to the decision by University Teachers Association of Ghana, UTAG, to call off its industrial action that last weeks.
According to the UG UTAG General-Secretary, Bawumia and Ministers of Education, Employment and National Security showed what he called ‘enough leadership behind the scenes.’
In a Facebook post on August 22, 2021; barely 24-hours to the resumption of negotiations, he further tasked the quartet to continue to keep a keen interest in the month-long negotiation that starts today.
“The Ministers for Education, Employment, National Security and the Vice President have shown enough leadership behind the scenes, in pushing for the suspension of the strike.
“I respectfully wish to urge them to take keen interest in the one month negotiation period and ensure that all stakeholders, but particularly, my people (University Teachers), come out satisfied and smiling,” his post read in part.
He warned that failure to satisfy the concerns of UTAG will lead to: “a more deadly strike that elicits support from all labor unions in Ghana would hit all of us.
“The current crop of UTAG leadership emerging (including my good self) are more socialized in the dogmas of mobilization and they know how to make an establishment ungovernable when necessary, to restore social equilibrium. But we do not need to get there. So, over to you, all duty-bearers in this one month period of negotiation,” he added.
UTAG agreed to suspend their industrial action last week after it agreed to return to the negotiation table with government. The National Labour Commission had to withdraw a suit against UTAG as part of the roadmap for negotiations.
President Akufo-Addo expressed happiness at the suspension of the strike when he met with executives of the National Union of Ghana Students, NUGS.