Gov’t appeals to UTAG to call off strike

The Ministry of Education has called on senior members of the country’s public tertiary institutions to call off their strike as steps have already been initiated to get them their allowances.

Members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) on Thursday began an indefinite strike action after complaining of not receiving their 2014/2015 Book and Research Allowances as of July 31.

The decision was taken after a meeting in Winneba on Wednesday, August 5.

But in a statement issued on Thursday, Minister of Education Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang explained that her ministry “is always committed to finding lasting solutions to pertinent issues confronting teachers through the instituted quarterly meeting with Teacher Unions”.

“Series of meetings were held with all the stakeholders including, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR), National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) over the status of negotiations on Conditions of Service for UTAG and POTAG as well as the way forward for the Book and Research Allowance and the Tertiary Education Research Fund.”

She stated that on June 1, the Ministry made its intention to pay the allowances clear to the lecturers, assuring that confirmation rates for 2015 as well as an audit of claims by the Auditor General have already been requested.

The requests are receiving attention from the Ministry of Finance, Prof Opoku Agyemang pointed out.

“The Ministry, therefore, appeals to the senior members of the public tertiary institutions to call off the strike and exercise maximum restraint while urgent steps are being taken to ensure the payment of the allowances.”