Teacher Labour Unions threaten to strike on Aug 9

Aug 6, 2024 - 13:45

The Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), the Federation of Senior Staff Associations of Ghana (FUSSAG), and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union of the Trade Union Congress (TEWU-TUC) have vowed to strike on August 9, 2024, if the Ministry of Finance does not permit the payment of agreed-upon allowances by August 8, 2024.

The group has expressed worry about the Finance Ministry's failure to produce a letter directing payment of the Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (VMA) and other relevant allowances.

The three unions announced their ultimatum to the Finance Ministry in a statement on Monday, August 5.

"The Unions have given the government (Ministry) up to the close of work on Thursday 8th August to release the letter. Failure to do so will result in the Unions being forced to take industrial action on the 9th of August, 2024. The SSA-UoG, FUSSAG and TEWU (TUC) are committed to fighting for the rights of its members and will not rest until justice is served."

"The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has done the needful by writing to the Ministry for Finance for payment to be effected. We have tried to engage the Ministry on several occasions to release a letter to that effect so our members could be paid but the Ministry has refused" the statement read.

They complained that universities receiving government subsidies, including arrears, had been paid, whereas institutions directly on the Controller and Accountant General's payroll had been overlooked. The unions claimed that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) had withheld the universities' payments at the revised rate.

"Now the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission is ordering the universities not to pay the new rate until a letter from the Ministry authorizing the payment is released. In that case, even those who are receiving the new rate are going to be denied the new rate while those who are on the Controller payroll still remain where they are.

“The Unions believe that the government is using Machiavellian tactics to deny us of an agreement reached with them" it read.

Find the full statement below: