The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has urged the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to call off its strike and return to the negotiation table.
UTAG has been on strike since Monday, August 2, 2021, demanding restoration of a 2012 Single Spine Salary Structure agreement that ensures entry-level lecturers earn the cedi equivalent of $2,084 monthly
After failure by the University Lecturers to call off the strike action, the National Labour Commission (NLC) secured 10 days interlocutory injunction from a court in Accra to compel University teachers to end the strike to return to the negotiation table.
The strike has disrupted the academic calendar in various public Universities with some threatening shut down in the coming weeks.
Addressing the second session of the 17th Congratulation of KTU which saw a total of 2,021 Higher National Diploma and 168 Diploma in Public Administration who completed their studies in 2020 graduated, the Deputy Director of Ghana Tertiary Education Commission Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor urged UTAG to call off the strike and return to the negotiation table. He said industrial strike action should not be an option.
“Industrial action should not be an option in this enterprise. It is on this note that I want to use this opportunity to plead with our brothers and sisters within the UTAG fraternity to return to the classroom by calling off their strike and return to the negotiation table with the government,” He said.
Meanwhile, GTEC is urging the management of Technical Universities to submit conditions of service of its lecturers for approval. He regretted that apart from KTU none of the Technical Universities has complied with this directive.
He assured that the Ministry of Education is committed to ensuring that disparities in promotions of Lecturers in Technical Universities and Traditional Universities are also addressed.
“Let me state on the record that as faculty and staff of Technical Universities in terms of structure, recognition and conditions of service are not and will never be different from their counterparts in Traditional Universities. Indeed the salaries and emoluments such as book and research allowances for the two groups of faculty are the same and will remain so.
“The only difference ladies and gentlemen have to do with Institutionally approved conditions of service which are tailored and informed by the Internally Generated Funds of the specific Institution and approved by the respective councils”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Kojo Ansah