TEWU Declares Indefinite Strike Over Poor Working Conditions
- The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TWEU) has declared a nationwide indefinite strike
- TEWU claimed the government had failed to fulfil its financial obligations to the members of the group
- The group said it would remain on strike until the government resolves their issue with due urgency
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The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has announced its decision to join the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) and the Federation of Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG) in a nationwide strike.
The strike will commence on Friday, September 20, 2024, in protest of grievances about so-called poor working conditions.
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TEWU, in a press statement issued on September 18, 2024, stated that despite numerous protests and negotiations, the government had failed to address their demands for improved working conditions.
The union accused the government of failing to implement previously agreed-upon conditions of service.
It said that despite the Finance Ministry approving the conditions in a latter on August 2, 2024, the Controller and Accountant General Department (CAGD) is yet to implement these allowances, including vehicle maintenance and off-campus allowances.
TEWU also added that despite promising to do so, the government had failed to recalculate and pay interest accrued from delayed Tier Two deductions to the union’s scheme from January 2010 to 2016.
It further stated that the government has failed to pay them their Tier Two deductions from January 2024 to date, even though such deductions were made from their hard-earned salaries.
The union further accused the government of failing to remit the deductions to their Fund Managers for effective management of their pensions.
The SSA-UoG, on the other hand, has been on strike since Monday, September 16, 2024, due to its frustration with the government’s neglect of previous agreements on improving working conditions.
The strikes are expected to leave public universities nationwide handicapped, possibly affecting academic calendars if not addressed immediately.
CETAG declares strike
In June, the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike.
The strike followed the government's reported failure to address the resolution of CETAG’s service conditions after the association had given it a May 31 deadline to implement the National Labour Commission's (NLC) arbitral award orders and negotiated service conditions.
CETAG had demanded that the government compensate each member with one month's salary for additional duties performed in 2022 and other issues with their working conditions.
CETAG also accused the NLC of mistreating them in the ongoing impasse.
CETAG strike bites education sector
YEN.com.gh previously reported that during the CETAG strike, colleges of education were halted.
Administrative and academic activities at all 46 colleges of education were halted due to the strike.
Students urged the lecturers to return to class as the strike threatened to disrupt the academic calendar.
Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
