An indefinite strike was declared by the Federation of Senior Staff Association Ghana and the Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana, effective January 17, 2024.
They claim that the Government has consistently shown no concern for the well-being of its members or other terms of service, which is the reason behind the decision.
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission have directed that overtime allowance payments for work completed on weekends and holidays be discontinued. The Senior Staff Association is taking industrial action in protest of these actions as well as the government’s tardiness in disbursing tier-two pension funds.
As a result, they no longer provide a number of services, such as handling student admissions and graduations, providing medical attention, security, dental care, laboratory facilities, labourers, cleaners, maintenance, and estate management.
National Chairman of the Association, Isaac Donkor at a press conference in Accra on January 17, said they reached this decision because of Government’s persistent disregard for their efforts.
“The Government’s lack of goodwill and faith in our discussions has forced us to make this hard decision. We have declared an immediate, nationwide strike that will last until the government is prepared to work with us, he stressed.
“We are requesting that the government meets our demands before we resume work. Firstly, we demand an immediate release of our pension funds. Additionally, we request a reversal of the directive on overtime work during holidays and weekends as it goes against our working conditions and terms of service,” stated the spokesperson. The association has a membership that runs into thousands across all 16 public universities.
