Secretary to the University of Ghana (UG) Chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof Ransford Gyampo, has stated that he would always defend and promote the interest of lecturers.

He says attempts by some people to misrepresent and misconstrue his actions and pronouncements about the conditions of service for university teachers would not yield results.

This follows an earlier announcement he made on Monday, February 21 to communicate UTAG’s decision to suspend its strike temporarily, an action he reckoned has been drawn into “some allegations driven by mere emotions.”

In a subsequent Facebook post on Wednesday, Prof Gyampo said claims that he has betrayed UTAG over that move are unfounded, adding that “some media houses and politicians, unfortunately, have succeeded in making all of us propagandistic in our appreciation of issues; hence we cherish half-truths, picking and choosing from posts.”

“I state in unequivocal terms that, I have not and cannot abandon my role in the fight for better conditions of service for the university teacher. Judging from the mood of members and the bitter concerns about their poor conditions of service, it is not over until it is over,” he wrote.

Commenting on the two-week period for negotiations between the parties, the academic urged the government to proactively engage leadership of UTAG “with honest truths, confessions and tangible-implementable proposals that effectively address the concerns of teachers.”

“We would be heard more and louder, should government fail to act within this interim period of strike suspension and should the members of UTAG across the country vote to reject the NEC’s temporary suspension of the strike.”

“Government may want to redeem and address its trust deficit among UTAG members, by quickly engaging UTAG leadership and tabling its proposals for meeting the demands of UTAG, now that the NEC has temporarily and theoretically suspended the strike. Otherwise, members are voting,” he added.

Meanwhile, UTAG says it will resume its suspended industrial action if government fails to fulfil the promise of improving its members’ working conditions within 14 days.

UTAG announced a suspension of its strike that lasted more than 40 days after an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Monday at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

But speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, the Association’s National President, Prof Solomon Nunoo, warned that members of UTAG are unhappy and will go to all extents to ensure an improvement of their conditions of service.