Three more education-sector labour unions have announced their intention to embark on strike in the absence of any urgent intervention to address their concerns.
The Senior Staff Association – Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), the Federation of Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG), and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union of Trade Union Congress (TEWU-TUC) have announced their intention to embark on industrial action on August 9, 2024, if their demands regarding unpaid allowances are not met by the government.
They will join Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), which has been on strike for over a month.
According to the unions, they notified the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission of Ghana (FWSCG) of their grievances concerning Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (VMA) and other related allowances on June 10, 2024. Upon which they threatened industrial action if these issues were not resolved by June 21, 2024.
However, in a hearing by the National Labour Commission on June 19, 2024, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission engaged with the unions, resulting in an agreement and an addendum being signed.
The commission then wrote to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), requesting the release of funds for payment. However, the ministry is yet to issue the necessary authorisation letter, despite multiple engagements by the unions.
Universities on government subvention have received payments, including arrears, while those directly on the Controller and Accountant General’s payroll have not. Furthermore, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission has instructed universities not to pay the new rate until the ministry releases the authorisation letter, causing delays even for those who were receiving the new rate.
The unions accuse the government of employing Machiavellian tactics to deny them their agreed-upon allowances, and have given the Ministry of Finance until the close of business on August 8, 2024 to issue the authorisation letter. Failure to do so will result in the unions initiating industrial action the following day.
“The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has done the needful by writing to the Ministry for Finance for payment to be made. We have tried to engage the ministry on several occasions to release a letter to that effect so our members could be paid but the ministry has refused.
“The SSA-UoG, FUSSAG and TEWU (TUC) are committed to fighting for the rights of our members and will not rest until justice is served,” the statement read.
