The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has announced that they will embark on industrial action by staying away from teaching, exam conduction and refrain from marking of examination scripts and other related matters effective Monday, 2 August, 2021.
This was in reaction to government delay towards their salary negotiations and conditions of service as far back as August 2018.
At a news conference in Accra, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of UTAG led by National President, Prof Charles Marfo said the industrial action is imminent due to the failure of government to cooperate with the association to complete negotiations.
According to him, some aspects of the negotiations have witnessed some progress but other core areas have not been properly address and government seems not to come to the negotiating table while members continue to wallow in worsening economic conditions.
“Government has always failed to respect the rules of engagement signed between the two parties to guide the negotiations”, he chargedadding that government have exhibited bad faith when it comes to issues of negotiations on CoS.
He said the Association finds the attitude by government as worrying and frustrating and the industrial action is not in any way to make anybody or institution unpopular since members are requesting what is due them to address their economic plight.
UTAG members have fallen in terms of their C0S over the years. In 2003, upon a recommendation by a Standing Joint Negotiation Committee (SJNC), Government accepted a five-year (2004-2008) roadmap for improvement in the levels of remuneration for senior members of the public universities in Ghana.
At the end of the road map in 2008, the monthly entry point salary of the Lecturer was $1,500 payable in Cedi equivalent. Per the agreement of the five-year roadmap, general increases in salaries in subsequent years would apply to the $1,500.
Also, with the advent and subsequent implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) policy for public sector workers in the country, in the negotiations that ended in January 201 2, an Interim Market Premium (1PM) was fixed at 114% of the basic salary and this led to a Lecturer being paid the Cedi equivalent of $2,084.41 from January 2012. It is important to note that the 114% of the basic salary was determined to ensure that the gains made with the SJNC in 2003 would be sustained.
He said one key element in the implementation of the SSSS was the fact that no employee was to be made worse off with the new pay regime. Nevertheless, the academic senior member has become worse off following the implementation of the SSSS pay policy.
At the beginning of 2020, the entry gross salary (i.e., Basic plus Market Premium) of a lecturer in the public universities was $997.84 (GHCS,687.66) far less than the $1,500 per month that was reached at the end of the roadmap in 2008 and further improved with the SSSS in 201 2 to $2,084.42 indicating that one can see the drop of over $1,086.57; i.e., GHC6,193.45, a drop which is more than the Lecturer’s present take home pay.
“For the sake of industrial harmony and in order not to compound the already jeopardised academic calendar of the public universities, UTAG demands that Government should just restore the 2012 values for the Lecturer without recourse to adjustments saying this demand is appropriate and fair as UTAG is willing to follow a road map as suggested by the Prof Yaa NtiamoaBaidu’s report on the Presidential Committee on Emoluments for Article 71 Office Holders, June 2020”, he concluded.
By Ben Laryea, African Eye Report
