Public Universities To Take Major Hit As Senior Staff Embark On Nationwide Strike
- The Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana is starting a strike from September 16
- The association has said the government has not honoured previous agreements concerning its conditions of service
- The association instructed all its member institutions to comply with the strike action fully
The Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana is starting a strike from Monday, September 16, 2024, in response to the government’s failure to meet demands for improved working conditions.
In a statement, the association expressed frustration over the government's inability to honour previous agreements, citing several unresolved issues.
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Among its key concerns is the government’s failure to implement new rates for vehicle maintenance and related allowances despite prior commitments.
Additionally, the association complained that the government has not released Tier Two pension deductions to Fund Managers since January 2024. It also said the government has not recalculated interest on Tier Two pension funds between 2010 and 2016.
The association has instructed all its member institutions to comply with the strike action fully.
It also added that the strike was in response to the absence of an adequate response from the government after it made its concerns known.
The Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana President, Isaac Donkoh, told YEN.com.gh his fellow members would comply with the strike as they push for what is due them.
"The recalculation of the tier two interest, that one, too, they didn’t pay, so that one is still pending. That is why they have added it to our demands,” Donkoh said.
The union previously backed down from a threat to strike on August 9, 2024, over non-payment of allowances.
The Federation of Senior Staff Associations of Ghana and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union of the Trade Union Congress had also threatened a strike.
The unions announced the decision in a statement carried by Rainbow Radio at the time.
Previous strikes by university workers
YEN.com.gh reported that the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana disrupted activities in public universities after a strike lasting about a month.
The union and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff Association of Ghana both went on strike from January 17, 2024, to February 9, 2024, affecting teaching and learning.
They wanted the government to pay all outstanding debt and contributions with interest from February to December 2023, as per rates stipulated by the Pension Act, Act 766.
The striking unions said they were also upset with the policy of cancelling their overtime allowances, which the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission had later reversed.
Proofread by Edwina N.K Quarcoo, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
