General Secretary of the University of Ghana branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof. Ransford Gyampo, has said they have been treated with disrespect for far too long.
He posited that they have been negotiating for better conditions of service for over ten years and yet, the government seems unconcerned.
He lamented that the negotiations have been fraught with excuses, delays and disrespect.
“But we haven’t been complaining. There is ample evidence to show that we have been very patient,” he wrote.
He slammed the National Labour Commission saying, they have not been competent in managing the issue but rather intimidating UTAG.
Read his full statement below:
UTAG has been negotiating for better conditions of service for close to ten years, without success. The processes have been fraught with excuses, delays and disrespect. But we haven’t been complaining. There is ample evidence to show that we have been very patient.
It is therefore regrettable that the National Labor Commission (NLC) the body expected to serve as an independent arbiter, has chosen to antagonize us. We served notice to go on strike in one month. But the Commission treated us with disrespect by not even acknowledging receipt of our letter.
The moment we went on strike, they suddenly called for a meeting. Before we could attend their meeting, they had already taken us to court, forgetting that the Professors of Law are in the Universities, where the law is taught.
Whiles in court, the NLC is still asking for a meeting. How is this possible? They went to file an interlocutory injunction against our strike and we went to file a motion to set aside the injunction. But as parents too, UTAG Members are not interested in any protracted litigation that sacrifices the interest of our students. But at the same time, we cannot negotiate in perpetuity and continue to suffer disrespect and poor conditions of service. So what’s the way forward?
Those negotiating on behalf of the government, particularly the NLC, have clearly failed and embarrassed the government in their approach to handling this matter. If they had acted timeously, we wouldn’t have been where we are today. I, therefore, call on the President to intervene in this matter now, as the bucks stop with him, taking a cue from how President Kuffour handled a similar matter.
After his election for a set term in 2004, there was a back and forth discussion about the conditions of service of lecturers. President Kuffour simply called his Finance Minister and instructed him to agree to pay a USD 1,500 entry point salary to lecturers, with a roadmap that would spread this. Today, all lecturers are still mentioning him as the one who made that giant move. This is his legacy among University Teachers.
The second term of President Akufo Addo should be a legacy hunting term. I respectfully urge him to intervene in this matter in a manner akin to what Kuffour did, just to bring finality to this impasse. It should be possible for our President to go down in Ghana’s history as the one who improved upon the conditions of service of lecturers. This is a low hanging fruit that can be added to the legacy he may be hunting.
Over to you, Mr President
Yaw Gyampo
A31, Prabiw
PAV Ansah Street
Saltpond
&
Suro Nip House
Kubease
Larteh-Akuapim
