Ongoing strike: NLC drags UTAG to court

The National Labour Commission(NLC) has dragged the University Teachers Association(UTAG) to the High Court(Labour Division) seeking an interlocutory injunction to compel the latter to comply with its January 13, 2022 decision.

Per the said decision, the National Labour Commission ordered the striking University Teachers Association to call off its ongoing industrial action and resume negotiations with its employers.

However ,the University Teachers Association Ghana (UTAG),indicated in a statement that all 15 branches of the association have unanimously decided to continue with its strike until further notice.

According to a statement, members of UTAG expressed dissatisfaction with the directive of the National Labour Commission (NLC) that its strike was illegal.

The NLC after a meeting with the leadership of UTAG last week declared the strike illegal and asked members of the association to return to work.

The NLC said from its findings, the issue upon which UTAG embarked on its strike  (that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission should provide a copy of the Labour Market Survey Report) had already been settled.

Following that the University of Ghana branch of UTAG in a statement on January 17, 2022, said until their demands for improved Conditions of Service are met, they are unable to call off the strike despite the NLC directive.

UTAG wants the government to restore the conditions of service that were agreed on in 2012, which pegged the Basic plus Market Premium of a lecturer at $2,084.42.

Currently, members of the association are paid a premium of $997.84

Students who have been affected by the strike say the current development will force them to demonstrate if the government fails to meet the lecturers’ demands.

The University Teachers Association of Ghana(UTAG) has been on strike since January 10, 2022.