The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has insisted it will go ahead with its intended strike over unpaid book and research allowance despite government’s appeal.
They contended that government has not communicated formally on the measures being put in place to address their concerns.
This follows a minister of State in-charge of Tertiary education, Prof Kwesi Yankah’s call on them to rescind their decision to go on strike.
According to him, the Ministry of Finance has directed the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to release the allowance to UTAG.
But he National President of UTAG, Dr. Eric Opoku Mensah in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM said the deadline to government is still in force notwithstanding the pleas by government officials.
“We’ll not change that position until we’ve seen the monies in the accounts of the respective public universities in Ghana or we have also had a formal communication. As at now the deadline i think has not expired, no communication has come from government, and therefore we await to see what happens. So that is our stand. If the government thinks that they have taken tangible steps to make sure that the payment of the book and research allowance is done, I as the president of the Association expects that we’re communicated to formally, but not through the media. The Association as at now has decided that on 31st we’ll go on strike and we still stand by that decision,” he said.
The Association which has been agitating for the payment of their allowance for couple of months now, says they gave government 16 July to settle their payment but government has failed to listen to their cry.
In a press conference held by the association in the capital-Accra, the president of UTAG, Dr. Eric Opoku Mensah said, “Following the lackadaisical attitude of government, UTAG wrote to the ministry of finance on the 7th of July 2018 about the need to make payment by 16th July 2018 to forestall agitations,”
Dr. Opoku Mensah was much concerned that in spite of the fact that all the necessary documents to facilitate payment were presented to government, they have still not heard anything from their employer.
They’d therefore resolved to abandon their post latest by 31st July, 2018, to ensure that all grievances and agitation are taken seriously.
