TUSAAG Declares Indefinite Strike…Over Unpaid Allowances

The Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) has declared an indefinite strike effective January 8, 2020 over unpaid allowances.

The Association said the amount received by its members in December is below allowances paid to colleagues in other public universities who hold similar positions as lecturers.

Addressing the media in Accra, the National President of TUSAAG, Edem Kodjo Honu, said the strike will be in effect until the government complies with the National Labour Commission’s ruling to pay its members the agreed allowances.

“We have observed that the posture of the NCTE in particular and other allied state agencies in this migration process is that of bad faith, suppression, disregard and disrespect to the staff of the technical universities.

“Consequently, the National Executive Committee of TUSAAG at an emergency held this morning Wednesday, 8th January 2020, resolved to resume its strike with immediate effect until government complies with the National Labour Commission (NLC) ruling including the full disclosure and payment of all allowances paid to senior members in public universities is paid to our members.”

TUSAAG had threatened to embark on a strike effective today [Wednesday 8th January, 2020] to demand better conditions of services befitting their status as public university administrators.

TUSAAG in a press statement served on Wednesday, 1st January, 2020, to notify the National Labour Commission, NLC, of the intended industrial strike, said the action is to register their displeasure as government’s failure to comply with the ruling of the NLC, has eroded the goodwill that the leadership of the Union showed during the deliberations.

“This resolve is to register our displeasure about the inability of the government to comply with the National Labour Commission (NLC) on 4^th November, 2019 in the matter between the Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) and the Ministry of Education to pay all allowances due Senior Members of the Technical Universities by 31^st December, 2019,” the statement said.

On October 18th, 2019, TUSAAG declared an indefinite strike due to government’s failure to address their concerns. Key among these is their base pay in line with their new status as university staff and not polytechnic staff.

But on November 4^th, 2019, TUSAAG reviewed its decision to call off their strike after a meeting with the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).

TUSAAG’s strike comes in the wake of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana’s (TUTAG) declaration of an indefinite strike.

TUTAG’s strike is in protest of the non-payment of allowances due its members following the conversion of polytechnics to technical universities.

According to the Association, the government has “refused to fully comply” with the ruling by the National Labour Commission (NLC) to ensure that members of the association started receiving allowances due them from December 2019, January 2020 and February 2020.

Prior to this strike action, on Friday, December 27, 2019, the leadership of TUTAG declared an immediate resumption of its suspended strike after calling off their strike in October 2019.

The strike has affected teaching and learning at the various technical universities with some students lamenting about the effect.

NLC must sue gov’t for flouting directives on TUTAG allowances

A former Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission (NLC), Charles Bawa Dua has urged the Commission to sue the government over the supposed disregard of its directives.

Speaking to Citi News, Charles Bawa Dua said, for the commission to be seen as a fair arbiter, it should ensure the full enforcement of its ruling.