The University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UG-UTAG) has announced its intention to proceed with a planned strike, despite Organised Labour’s decision to call off its nationwide strike against the illegal mining (galamsey) crisis.
The UG-UTAG strike, originally scheduled to begin on Thursday, October 10, 2024, is in response to what the association perceives as the government’s insufficient action to address the ongoing galamsey menace.
Organised Labour, during a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, stated that the government had shown efforts towards combating illegal mining, which led to their decision to suspend the strike. However, UG-UTAG remains unconvinced.
Speaking to journalists following the Organised Labour announcement, President of UG-UTAG, Prof. Ransford Gyampo, underscored the seriousness of the situation and affirmed the association’s commitment to taking a strong stand on the issue.
He expressed frustration, claiming that UG-UTAG’s views were suppressed during the decision-making process by Organised Labour.
Prof. Gyampo emphasized that despite the broader labour group’s decision, UG-UTAG felt compelled to act independently, given the urgency of the illegal mining crisis and its detrimental impact on the country’s environment and future.
“We even wanted to be allowed to say that if this is the route to go then let’s subject the government to strict deadline. They said they will not let us talk. in the meeting, I made my first point to others; a few people spoke and if you are speaking the chairman gets up and says he doesn’t want you to talk. We didn’t finish with the meeting before we realised they had called the media in.”
“So, the meeting did not end, and they got up to read the statement that had been prepared already for you…We are going to meet this evening. We had voted already. The 16 public universities had voted unanimously, overwhelmingly to say that they want to go on industrial action, and we don’t care about what ‘disorganised labour’ wants to do.
“We will be the conscience of Ghana. We will defend Ghanaians, and we will ensure that we defeat this fight, we will defeat this existential threat that confronts all of us. If Organised Labour will not want to do it, we will want to do it,” he stated.
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