UTAG waiting for legal advise on decision to honour NLC summons after court order

The University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (UTAG) says it is waiting on the advice of its legal team to decide whether or not to honour the invitation by the National Labour Commission (NLC).

The National Secretary of UTAG, Dr. Asare Asante-Annor, told Citi News that various internal meetings will be needed to confer before a decision is taken on the strike matters.

NLC and UTAG were told to settle their labour issues out of court, following an unsuccessful suit by the commission.

UTAG has been on strike since January 10 to force the government to restore the conditions of service agreed upon in 2012.

The 2012 conditions of service pegged the Basic plus Market Premium of a lecturer at $2,084.42.

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

The NLC subsequently invited the government and the striking lecturers to a meeting on February 7.

UTAG however remains concerned about the posture of the government on the matter.

“The lawyer made it clear that we signed a couple of MOAs [in the past], but the employer has not shown any good faith anytime the MOAs were signed,” Dr. Asante-Annor said.

He added the government could work towards a satisfactory settlement before the meeting.

“We see this as a window of the opportunity for both parties to come up with a solution before we meet,” he said. Continued assurances from the government

The Minister of Education has continued to give assurances to the striking lecturers.

Dr. Yaw Adutwum said the government is currently engaging the teachers following a court order.

“Our goal is to get our lecturers, professors and those without whom our university will not run, back into our lecture halls,” he said to the media in Accra after meeting with the leadership of Vice-Chancellors Ghana.

The Chairman of Vice-Chancellors Ghana, Prof Abednego Okoe Amartey, also said his outfit will also continue to dialogue with UTAG.

“We are doing everything possible to make sure that our lecturers get back to the lecture halls.”