The President of the University Students Association of Ghana says among other things students are considering embarking on a series of protests to urge the government and the National Labour Commission (NLC) to resolve the concerns by striking lecturers.

Speaking on Top Story on Monday, Philip Christian Armah, explained that the leadership of USAG has already engaged needed stakeholders including lecturers, officials at NLC and the Education Ministry on the need to have lecturers return to school.

He stated that although nothing seems to have come out of those negotiations, they are holding more consultation, but if those fail as well, students would have to also express their displeasure.

“So we have resorted to negotiations ever since the strike action began. We have been engaging all the relevant stakeholders - from the UTAG national executive to the NLC, and over the past three weeks it looks as if nobody is listening,” Mr Armah told Evans Mensah, host of the show.

“We as leadership from the SRC President level together with the national executive officers which form the national executive committee of USAG, we have resolved that if we do not hear anything positive this week, the last resort has to take us to organised series of protest in our various campuses. We wouldn't shy away from that.”

His comment comes after Public universities across the country are at risk of a mass shutdown after the University Teachers Association of Ghana's (UTAG) strike entered its third consecutive week.

On Monday, January 10, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), embarked on a nationwide strike, over poor conditions of service.

According to the embattled lecturers, the government has failed to honour its promises to them, despite a series of meetings and negotiations, towards the improvement of their working conditions.

UTAG, therefore, stated that they will only return to the classroom if all their concerns are addressed.

UTAG wants the government to reconsider the increment of its annual research allowance to a more realistic amount “as this is critical to our research output, promotion and ultimately national development.”

They also want the 2013 Interim Market Premium (IMP) of 114% on basic salary restored.

Meanwhile, Mr Armah says many students have been left frustrated while others have also left for their various homes after the strike extended into its third week.

“We are also not relenting. We have decided to meet again with the stakeholders and had a meeting with the Ministers of Education and Employment. We know that they have to get the job done,” he said.

He stated that the Education Minister promised they are engaging UTAG and they are very hopeful that the issues would be resolved.

Mr Armah added that “we do not need any excuses from anybody. Nobody gave us excuses when the time was right for us to pay our admissions and accommodation fees. If our parents have forced TO paid these then the right thing has to be done, we are not going to sit down for universities to be shut down.”

NLC sues UTAG

The National Labour Commission (NLC) has sued UTAG for failing to comply with the directive to call off its strike. The case is expected to be heard on February 3.

Despite the NLC declaring the strike as illegal, UTAG resolved to carry on, enabling the Commission to seek legal redress in court.

The NLC, among other things, is praying the court forces UTAG to call off its strike as declared by the Commission on January 13, 2022.

But UTAG has vowed that it will not call off the industrial action until its demands for improved conditions are met