UTAG’s strike has nothing to do with being in bed with opposition – Ransford Gyampo
The Secretary of the University of Ghana branch of UTAG, Professor Ransford Gyampo had stressed that their intended strike has nothing to do with being in bed with the opposition National Democratic Congress.
Speaking in an interview with Charles Ayittey on the JoyNewsroom on Sunday, Professor Gyampo indicated that the planned industrial action by the University Teacher’s Association (UTAG) is a reflection of the Association’s anger over government’s failure to honour its promises to them.
According to him, UTAG is only interested in seeking the welfare of its members, thus the impending strike action is devoid of any political underpinnings.
“…this has nothing to do with taking a position against government or being in bed with opposition. It has everything to do with articulating and projecting and fighting for better conditions of service for our members”, Professor Gyampo stated.
The senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, further intimated that he’s appalled by the failure of government to fulfill its part of the bargain, following earlier engagements between the leadership of UTAG and the government.
He therefore reiterated the decision of UTAG to vacate the classroom until all their outstanding concerns are meaningfully addressed by the current regime.
On Saturday, January 8, UTAG issued a statement, announcing their decision to embark on an industrial action from January 10, 2022. According to lecturers union, the strike has been influenced by the inability of government to resolve the worsening working conditions of service for lecturers across the country.
UTAG explained that for months, their concerns have not been given the needed attention, despite the agreed timelines in previous negotiations with government.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), has backed the decision of UTAG to withdraw their services indefinitely. In an exclusive interview with MyJoyOnline.com, the General Secretary of the Union, Julius Kwame Anthony, said since government has failed to play its part, the decision by UTAG to lay down its tools is a step in the right direction.
“Our position is simple. UTAG has been on these demands since 2013, and other issues came up from 2019 till this point. And speaking of the immediate issues, when they went on strike last year, we responded in calling on them to return to the classrooms so that the academic calendar which had already been frustrated by COVID and all that, those issues could be completed. They acted in good faith and heeded to those calls and went back to negotiate with government.
What we see is a situation where government has taken an entrenched stance on most of these things, which shouldn’t be the way to go. Because if UTAG agrees to call off the strike in the interim, why is it that up till now, the 2013 interim market premium, which had been frozen, even that had not been released, so that at least, the teachers could be working with that.
All those conditions have not been met, and we feel that there’s a lack of commitment on the side of government on solving those issues, and we feel that the only way forward is for us to back UTAG in making their demands, and when they get it, we all resume. We can’t continue the back and forth anymore”, Mr. Anthony said.
Source: Ghana News
