More pressure on Gov’t as Universities’ Senior Staff declare nationwide strike
The Senior Staff Association of the Universities of Ghana (SSAUoG) on Wednesday, 13 July, joined their colleague teachers to declare a nationwide strike.
The group which comprises administrative staff at the various universities in Ghana joined a tall list of public sector unions demanding a 20% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).
At a presser today (Wednesday, 13 July), General Secretary of the association, Hector Owoahene-Acheampong, said senior staff in the public universities were unfairly treated and thus the industrial action.
“Today, the Senior Staff of Public Universities will address you. I want to make this clear to all our workers. With this particular strike, we will not exempt any staff. Teaching staff, you are going home. Principal staff, you are going home. Drivers, you are going home.
“Yesterday they threatened to freeze our salaries [if we embark on strike] and we will tell them we are capable [of declaring the strike]. We have said if we do not hear anything positive from them, we will lay down our tools. We are demanding 20 percent COLA and nothing else,” the leaders directed its members.
They are also unhappy that accrued interests on Tier 2 pension arrears have not been settled.
Additionally, the members are also worried about what they describe as salary disparities at the universities.
The unions said they had called on the government to grant a 20% COLA to the Ghanaian worker, particularly teachers and educational workers of the Pre-Tertiary Education level, in light of the current economic challenges.
According to the unions, the high inflation, and incessant skyrocketing prices of fuel, goods and services, “have eroded the already woefully so-called salary increases granted” to them.
Shortly after taking that bold step, the union of Professional Nurses and Midwives (UPNMG) commended the striking teachers.
“The strike called by teachers in their joint press release was a call in the right direction and deserves the full backing of all labor unions in the country” part of a statement from the nurses read.
Early this week, the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) also threatened to lay down its tools over COLA.
“In the midst of rising cost of living, inflation currently pegged at 27.6% (with a propensity to rise further), and pending astronomical increases in utility tariffs, the economic analysis which formed the basis of our acceptance of a one-year salary increment for the year 2022 has obviously been thrown out of gear.
“Considering the worsening economic challenges, members of the PSWU are left with no other option but to draw attention to their economic wellbeing,” the union said in a statement on Monday, 11 July.
The government has since the various announcements tried to engage the leaders of the striking unions but all discussions so far have ended in a stalemate.