The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) is expected to appear before the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) today to settle disputes between the parties.
The meeting, which was to take place on Wednesday, will consider the legality or otherwise of the ongoing strike by UTAG and discuss their demand for better conditions of service.
The university teachers have raised concerns over the failure of stakeholders to stick to an earlier agreement, including FWSC’s delay in releasing the report of the Labour Market Survey.
UTAG has also accused the NLC of bias and questioned the ability of the Commission to address the issues that have necessitated their strike fairly.
President of UTAG, Dr Solomon Nunoo, has indicated that despite the earlier concerns raised, UTAG is hopeful of reaching a consensus with government on resolving the current issue.
“Unfortunately for us, that is the only state institution we have when it comes to labour management. In this case, we need to go and listen, and then we see how they will handle it. We go in with an open mind, but that does not stop us from commenting on the behaviour of people who are behaving as appendages of government.”
“If the Labour Commission had been proactive, they would have come in to try and mediate the process, but unfortunately, that did not take place. We are optimistic that they will give a ruling in our favour, and then we continue from there,” he told JoyNews.
Members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana embarked on industrial action on Monday, January 10, in the quest to demand better conditions of service.
They want government to restore the conditions of service agreed upon in 2012/2013, which pegs the salary of an entry-level lecturer at $2,084.42.
The move is already biting hard on students as it threatens to derail the academic calendars of various tertiary institutions.
The teachers reluctantly called off a similar strike over the same demands last year on the condition that their concerns will be addressed.
But after the exhaustion of timelines, the government is yet to act on their demands.