Call off strike and return to lecture halls – Afenyo-Markin to UTAG

Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has pleaded with the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to call off the ongoing strike and return to the lecture halls.

 According to him, even though their demands are legitimate; there is a need to balance their demand to ensure the academic calendar is not disrupted.

He also asked the striking teachers to “balance their demands to the plights of students.”

“The Majority Caucus is accordingly and humbly pleading with UTAG to please, please, please get back to the classrooms,” he reiterated.

The Deputy Majority Leader urged government to continue to show good faith and cooperate to ensure that there is consensus on the demands of UTAG to ensure that the matter is dealt with.

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 until 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.

There has been back and forth on the issue after the National Labour Commission (NLC) dragged UTAG to court. They were directed to settle the case out of court.

The two parties however failed to do so and were in court again on Thursday, February 10, 2022.

UTAG and NLC have thus been urged to return to the negotiation table, engage and settle the impasse for the second time.

The strike action by UTAG has brought academic work and activities to a halt after several weeks of inactive teaching and learning.

Meanwhile, Minority in Parliament has demanded the closure of public universities in the country as the strike action by University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) enters the sixth week.

Speaking to JoyNews, Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee, Dr Clement Apaak, noted that the continuous stay of students on the various campuses exposes them to several dangers.

Source: Ghana News