Over 6,000 members of the Senior Staff Association in ten public universities have declared an indefinite strike.
They are protesting the government’s failure to pay accumulated Tier-Two pension contributions, award of market premium and non-basic allowance of members.
The association is unhappy with the government’s failure to heed to the grievances.
” We still maintain our position that government has been unfair to the Senior Staff cadre of public Universities in Ghana.
In our candid opinion, the award of the interim market premium and non-basic allowance to selected few within the university community and our compatriots in the Civil and Local Government Services is unscientific and discriminatory,” the association said in a statement read by its National Chairman, Zakaria Mohammed.
The Association also accused government of deliberately breaching the National Pension Act by fraudulently refusing to pay monthly contributions plus interest to members of the association since 2016.
“In furtherance to our letter dated 7th May 2021, served on the Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission, declaring our intention to embark on an industrial action, I wish on behalf of the National Executive Council announce the complete withdrawal of services by all members of the Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana with immediate effect until all the following protracted demands are resolved:
1. Payment of our Tier 2 Pension arrears with accrued interest as agreed spanning 2010 to 2016
2. Award of Market premium and non-basic allowance
3. Finalization of negotiation on our conditions of service by Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.”
Leadership of the association from all ten public universities converged at the KNUST to declare the strike with immediate effect.
“All members of Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana are, therefore, required to lay down their tools until further notice,” Zakaria Mohammed, the national president, announced.
Association announced the introduction of a task force on the ten campuses to ensure full compliance to the strike action.
Mr Zakaria says any member who flouts the orders of the leadership face expulsion from the association as a task force is set up to monitor full compliance with the strike action.
But members providing essential services such as those in basic schools, campus security and fire service are expected to join the strike action next week.
The Association however warned any further attempts by government to victimised members of the association would be met with resistance, insisting their action is legitimate.
“We’ve written to the Labour Commission of Ghana, and the law requires us to notify them seven working days, which we have done, and there’s nothing illegal about it,” Mr Zakaria said.
“If government wants the various universities to be completely shut down, let them victimised a single soul, not even a foul that belongs to a member of Senior Staff, it would incur the wrath of the National Executive Council,” he said.
