The industrial action by the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has compelled the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Ghana to postpone the oral examination for PhD students.

Members of UTAG, the Tertiary Education Workers Union (TEWU), the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana and the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) on Monday began an industrial action over non-payment of vehicle maintenance allowance and other conditions of service.

According to them, the strike has become necessary due to their employer’s failure to pay the agreed allowance.

Their decision is beginning to affect academic work as the postponement of the PhD oral examination is until further notice.

An e-mail from the University of Ghana’s School of Graduate Studies noted that a new date will be announced after the strike is suspended.

“Heads of Academic units are therefore kindly requested to inform the examiners and students who have been scheduled accordingly. A new date for the examination will be communicated when the strike is suspended.”

UTAG National President, Dr. Solomon Nunoo in an interview with JoyNews explained that the industrial action followed a meeting with the government last Friday which ended in a stalemate.

He noted that the government failed to adhere to its earlier agreement of paying their Vehicle Maintenance Allowance and wanted to form a ten-member committee to renegotiate the terms and conditions.

UTAG however refused the move which culminated in the ongoing strike action.

However, the University of Cape Coast branch of UTAG is sitting out of the ongoing strike by the unions in the public universities in Ghana.

UTAG-UCC in responding to the strike action said its academic calendar prevents it from joining the strike action.

“However, the peculiar nature of the current Academic Calendar of UCC makes it impossible for UTAG-UCC to join the strike action now,” the Union said in a statement on October 17.

UTAG-UCC, however, noted that it supports the action by UTAG to press home their demands. The Union said UTAG must resist any unilateral decision to make its members worse off.