Ransford Gyampo, General Secretary of UTAG
The leadership of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has called on the government to adhere to the timelines agreed to improve the working conditions of University Teachers.
The government and UTAG jointly signed a memorandum acknowledging the need for government to improve the teachers’ lot.
On Friday, August 20, 2021, after about three weeks of a nationwide strike, the leadership of UTAG directed its members on the various campuses to resume academic work. But it also gave the government a one-month period to address its demands.
UTAG, on August 2, 2021, began an industrial action over what it said was the failure of the government to restore its members to 2012 salary levels.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, the General Secretary of the University of Ghana chapter of UTAG, Prof. Ransford Gyampo, explained that the government has still not resolved their demands and the one-month ultimatum the association gave government will be due in the next few days.
“We agreed to stop (the strike) for only one month; we didn’t agree to negotiate in perpetuity. We are about four days into the expiration of the one-month ultimatum, and nothing concrete has been agreed upon or communicated to our members. Well, we [are] serving a reminder to anyone, in particular to the President, Vice President; like I said, we never signed an MoU to negotiate in perpetuity. After one month, University teachers will review what has happened and take a decision which I believe they won’t like with the consequence…We will sacrifice now to protect our future”, he said.
Mr Gyampo indicated the association agreed to suspend its nationwide strike based on government assurance to address their grievances and provide better conditions of service; however, the University Teachers have since not heard from the government till now.
According to him, the association will be forced to take the next step should government fail to address their grievances within the one-month ultimatum.