Strike action: GAUA promises to lay down her tools if issues by GTEC and FWSC are not resolved

The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) in a press statement said “Any delays in resolving all outstanding issues by GTEC and FWSC will result in GAUA similarly laying down her tools and joining the strike action”.

The press statement was signed by Surv. Richard Afriyie (General Secretary) on January 19, 2024.

Rrad the full press statement from the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) below

The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) lends her unflinching support to the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) in the issues culminating in the current nationwide strike action.

It is noteworthy that these demands for tier 2 pension payments and restoration of payments of stopped agreed allowances were among the myriad of issues listed on the petitions to the National Labour Commission (NLC) in October 2023 which almost led to another joint non-teaching staff unions strike in the public universities back then – namely, Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWUG), SSA-UoG, and GAUA.

GAUA is by this statement calling on the Government of Ghana to speedily address these, and all the issues from the public universities before the NLC, among which are petitions on corrections in disparities in the single spine salary structure, review of the harmonized allowances in public universities, review of a directive of the NLC on an agreed allowance for IT professionals, stoppage of arbitrary implementation of decisions on office holding allowances, etc.

It should be noted that the current agitation among university employees is attributed to the penchant attitude of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to unilaterally disregard the conditions of service and negotiation machinery to issue directives that make university employees worse off.

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GAUA caution GTEC and FWSC to respect the conditions of service and negotiated outcomes to preserve industrial peace in the public universities.

We wish to serve notice, and notice is hereby served that any delays in resolving all outstanding issues by GTEC and FWSC will result in GAUA similarly laying down her tools and joining the strike action.

It is obvious that the patience of the Ghanaian workers has waned and the continued lethargy of Government agencies in addressing labour issues will no more be entertained. GAUA is monitoring closely the issues on the labour front at this time and will not hesitate to activate its advertised intentions if government fails to address issues in the nation’s public universities in a timely manner, bearing in mind the critical issues plaguing GAUA as a body.

It is hoped that the smooth running of Ghana’s public universities will be revered in a swift response of the government agencies to forestall disruptions in the academic calendar.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh