The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has called off its six weeks strike action after a meeting with the Education and Labour Ministers facilitated by the Education Committee of Parliament.
The meeting follows a ruling by the Labour Division of the Accra High Court on Monday directing UTAG to call off their industrial action, return to the lecture halls and continue with negotiation.
Akatsi North MP and Ranking Member on the Education Committee, Peter NortsuKotoe, who disclosed this to the media after the meeting in Accra yesterday, said both parties had agreed to find amicable solution to the strike.
“On our appeal, they have agreed to call off the strike on the condition that government is ready to sit down with them immediately for them to resolve outstanding matters.
“The minister gave us the assurance that they are going to be committed. Once the committee has directed, there is no way he as a leader of the government delegation will fail to meet with them even if its 24hours a day; they will meet,” MrKotoe said.
Hopeful that the lecturers would return to the lecture halls by Monday, February 21, 2022, MrKotoe said the Committee has tasked the Education Ministry to resolve all outstanding issues and report back to the Committee within a week.
“As a Committee, we have given them one week after UTAG have called off the strike to conclude negotiations and report back to the Committee. Some of their concerns have been addressed.”
The UTAG on January 10 declared the industrial action to press home for better conditions of service.
The Association said their action was over “the worsening Conditions of Service (CoS) of the University Teacher and the failure of the Employer in addressing the plight of UTAG members within the agreed timelines.”
The National Labour Commission, however, moved in to compel the lecturers to return to the classroom but to no avail prompting it to fall on the Court for an interlocutory injunction which was granted by the High Court.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
