The Technical University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (TUTAG) has backed a strike action declared by its local chapter at the Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU).
Members of TUTAG and the Technical University Senior Administrators’ Association of Ghana at the Bolgatanga Technical University, on Friday, August 25, 2023, withdrew their services over what they say is attempt by the school’s Vice-Chancellor to vary their conditions of service.
According to the two unions, the Vice-Chancellor, under the pretext of ambiguities in the Technical Universities Act (2016), is seeking to pay their members retirement benefits only spanning from when the institution was converted to a Technical University.
This, they say, is contrary to the transitional provision under the Technical Universities Act (2016) Act 922.
They contended that the Act deems employees of the institution before its conversion to have been employed under its current status thus, the decision of the Vice-Chancellor to exclude the period of their service under its erstwhile status is in contravention of the law and an attempt to vary their End of Service Benefits to their disadvantage.
They, therefore, withdrew their services to drum home their demand on the V. C. to rescind what they believe is a misinterpretation of the law as they said he had been adamant to all attempts to have the matter resolved amicably.
In a statement backing the strike action by its local chapter, TUTAG noted that it had warned heads of the various Technical Universities against giving wrong and ridiculous interpretation to the newly signed conditions of services for its members and therefore, finds the action of the BTU’s V. C. mindboggling.
It warned against victimisation of its members over the action, stating that any such move will incur the wrath of its membership nationwide.
“We therefore issue this solidarity statement in support of the ongoing strike action by the Bolgatanga Technical University Chapter of TUTAG, and warn that any attempt to victimise members of the above Chapter, especially the leadership, will incur the displeasure of the entire membership of the union across the length and breadth of the country,” it said in the statement signed by its General Secretary, Dr. Abubakari Zakari .
Read the full statement below.
SOLIDARITY STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE ONGOING STRIKE ACTION BY THE BOLGATANGA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY CHAPTER OF TUTAG
We refer to our letter dated 12th December 2022, reference number: TUTAG/VCTU-G-3/2022, addressed to the Chairman of the Vice-Chancellors of Technical Universities of Ghana (VCTU-G), in which we sent a strong warning to all Vice-Chancellors of Technical Universities to desist from giving wrong and weird interpretation to our newly signed IGF related conditions of service, especially the item on our End of Service Benefit (ESB). We also refer to Section 42 (6) of the Technical Universities Act 2016 (Act 922) as amended, which states that “A person in the employment of a polytechnic in existence immediately before the coming into force of this Act, shall be deemed to have been duly employed by the respective Technical University established under this Act on the terms and conditions attached to the post held by that person before the coming into force of this Act”. The above section of the Act establishing Technical Universities in Ghana clearly acknowledges the continuous service of staff of the then polytechnics who smoothly went through transition processes as required by law to becoming staff of the newly established Technical Universities. It is therefore mindboggling and absurd for any individual or group of individuals, who by virtue of accrued rights, are currently occupying positions of authority in the Technical Universities, to attempt to vary the conditions of service of staff of the universities.
We therefore issue this solidarity statement in support of the ongoing strike action by the Bolgatanga Technical University Chapter of TUTAG, and warn that any attempt to victimise members of the above Chapter, especially the leadership, will incur the displeasure of the entire membership of the union across the length and breadth of the country.
Long live mother Ghana, long live TUTAG.
Thank you.
ABUBAKARI ZAKARI, PhD
(GENERAL SECRETARY)
Cc: President, TUTAG
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