Worker Unions of the C.K Tedem University of Technology and Applied Sciences in the Upper East Region and two other newly created universities have rescinded their decision to embark on an industrial action beginning today, Monday, March 15, 2021.
The workers were protesting the government’s decision to migrate them onto the Controller and Accountant General Department’s payroll system.
The affected unions described the move as one that contravenes the Labour Act and will lead to reductions in workers’ salaries and allowance.
Acting secretary of the University Teachers Association (UTAG) at the C.K Tedem University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Dr. Jones Bugase told Citi News that an intervention by the National Labour Commission (NLC) led to the suspension of the strike.
“We gave a March 12 deadline to hear from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission to holding onto their decision of the migration. We were supposed to begin our strike today, but the NLC has intervened. They have invited us to a meeting on the 17th to discuss extensively this matter. We have to follow due process, so we will honour the invitation and based on what transpires at the deliberations, we will decide on our next line of action”, he said.
The other universities that initially joined the action are the S.D. Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies in Wa and the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Somanya.
According to the unions of the affected universities, the migration, if forcefully implemented will result in the reduction of their salaries and allowances leaving out their counterparts in other universities.
In an earlier press statement, they called on the government to urgently suspend the intended staff migration by March 12, 2021, or incur their wrath.