UTAG meets NLC in court today

Leaderships of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the National Labour Commission (NLC) will meet in court today, February 3, 2022, over the former’s ongoing strike.

NLC filed a suit against UTAG after lecturers refused to return to the lecture halls upon NLC’s directive.

The Commission had declared UTAG’s strike illegal, citing failure to follow procedure.

But UTAG insists it did not falter in its approach to the strike and will not return to the classroom. UTAG’s strike has entered its fourth week amid fears of an imminent shut down of public tertiary institutions.

Per guidelines governing the affected institutions, schools must be shut down if academic work does not commence 31 days after the scheduled start.

Meanwhile, affected students have urged government to heed their lecturers’ demand so teaching and learning can commence.

The students have also threatened to stage a demonstration against government in the coming days.

Why is UTAG on strike?

UTAG is lamenting poor conditions of service and is demanding a restoration of the 2012 conditions of service which allocates a basic plus market premium of $2,084.42 per lecturer.

Current arrangements peg members’ basic premiums at $997.84.

Government has proposed USD 1600 in Research Allowance, payable in 2024.

But UTAG has rejected this amount.