Professor Solomon Nunoo, the National President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), has appealed to the members to resume lectures whiles the National Executive Council engaged stakeholders on their conditions of service.
He asked them to comply with the injunctive order from the High Court while they found space to negotiate with the employer during the temporal suspension of the strike.
This was in a statement signed by Prof Nunoo to clarify issues on the temporal suspension of UTAG’s industrial action and the ongoing referendums.
It congratulated all branches that had successfully conducted referendums to formally state their position on the suspension of the strike.
The statement said the referendum would end on Monday, February 28, 2022, after which the NEC of UTAG would have up to five days to consider the outcome
This is in consonance with Article V, Section four of UTAG’s bye laws, which states that the NEC shall have the authority to suspend an industrial action, and within the five working days after such postponement, the membership shall vote in a secret ballot referendum on acceptance or rejection of the tentative agreement.
The bye law states that if the membership rejects the proposed tentative agreement, a special meeting of NEC shall be convened within five days of the referendum vote to set a date for the resumption of an industrial action.
“The NEC of UTAG is cautiously optimistic that within the stipulated period of the temporal suspension of the strike, we could get the needed results.We wish to appeal to all UTAG members to kindly return to the lecture rooms and remain calm and patient as we forcefully push for the improved Conditions of Service,” it said.
The National Labour Commission dragged UTAG to court following the Association ’s refusal to comply with the directive to call off its strike.
The Commission filed two applications before the court.
The first is a motion for the enforcement of the directives issued by the NLC on January 13, this year, for UTAG to return to the lecture hall, so teaching could commence.
The second one is an interlocutory order to restrain UTAG from continuing with its strike. UTAG on Monday January 10, this year, embarked on industrial action over “worsening“condition of service.
The NLC after hearing the case on Thursday, January 13, 2022, ruled that the strike be called off because it was illegal and did not follow the due process.
UTAG, however, continued the industrial action despite the NLC’s directive to call it off.
The Court will on March 9, 2022, rule on the legality of the strike by UTAG.
