The striking Tertiary Workers' Unions have rejected any calls for negotiations with the government over the delayed payment of their pension funds contributions.

The National Chairman of the University Senior Staff Association, Isaac Donkor says the release of their delayed funds is the sole resolution they seek.

The leaders of the unions are set to engage with the government on Thursday, February 1, 2024, to address concerns that triggered the ongoing industrial action by the Senior Staff, Teachers, and Educational Workers Union, alongside the Ghana Association of University Administrators.

Speaking to JoyNews, Mr. Donkor stated that the government is aware of the amount of money it is supposed to pay the unions.

He insisted that their return to work hinges solely on the government fulfilling its obligations and emphasised the need to dismiss further negotiations.

“They know, so I want to put on record that this one, we don't need any negotiations. There's no negotiation on this matter. So the government should do well and release the money to our fund managers for investment then we get back to work.

"People have been in the house for the past three years on pension, and they are waiting for the alarm sound. Some people are dying, some are sick, and you want to negotiate,” he stressed.

Also read: Universities’ senior staff rejects NLC’s order to call off strike

The National Chairman of the University Senior Staff Association maintained that the unions cannot negotiate on their arrears, stating that they will report to work if the government pays them.

“So when we go for that meeting, we are not expecting anything less than the payment of our Tier 2 arrears,” he said.

Meanwhile, a labour expert, Austin Gamay is calling on the government to engage the striking workers for a payment plan to settle the delayed pension funds.

He explained that the decision is not at the discretion of the employer based on personal preferences, stating that employers must create provisions for such funds as it is considered a mandatory and statutory requirement.

“If you don't have the money, engage the people and have a planning arrangement as to when and how you retire, with the interest on it. Anything short of that - I am talking from a professional point of view, and for somebody who was present and as one of the commissioners that rolled the pension scheme, it's non-negotiable, it's not a negotiable item, it's not a collective agreement-based thing,” he said.