The University of Ghana (UG) branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), has voted against a decision by the National Executive Committee of the Association to suspend its nationwide strike.

In a tally result signed by the Electoral Commissioner of the UTAG-UG branch, Dr. Innocent Lawson, 596 UTAG members voted against the suspension of the strike; while some 127 others voted to accept the decision by the National Executive Committee of UTAG to suspend the strike.

This means that out of the total of 723 UTAG-UG members who voted, 82.4% want the strike to continue, while 17.6% want academic work to resume.

Based on the outcome of the vote, academic work still remains on hold at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Background

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has resolved to suspend its industrial action temporarily.

This followed an emergency meeting by UTAG’s National Executive Committee on Monday to evaluate their ongoing strike.

Prior to this, meetings held between the leadership of UTAG, Parliament’s Education Committee, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, the Education Minister and the Labour Minister last week had ended inconclusively.

UTAG wants government to restore their 2012 conditions of service, which pegged the monthly income of entry-level lecturers at $2,084.

The Association has complained that the current arrangement has reduced its members’ basic premiums to $997.84.

Statesmen such as former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Sam Jonah, some Vice-Chancellors among others had also weighed in and pleaded for the lecturers to return to the classroom.

But per a statement from UTAG, NEC had agreed to heed the advice of the eminent leaders, the Select Committee on Education and the court ruling to suspend the strike action.

The decision, NEC said will last until March 4 by which time a favourable outcome would have been achieved amid further engagement.

The announcement signed by UTAG’s National President Prof Solomon Nunoo also reiterated that a roadmap had been agreed between the Association and government.

In that regard, “negotiations will commence in earnest and completed within the agreed period and the outcome.”

Meanwhile, “the legal processes on the legality or otherwise of our strike action, pending before the Court, will continue to its logical conclusion.”

UTAG has been on strike since January 10, 2022, over government’s failure to review their conditions of service since 2017.