Court orders TUTAG, TUSAAG to call off strike

The High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Doreen G. Boakye-Agyei, has ordered the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) and the Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) to call off their strike.

The order, which took effect from Tuesday, January 14, 2020, shall remain for a period of 10 days.

A statement signed by the Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission (NLC), Mr Ofosu Asamoah, said on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, the NLC filed a motion ex parte for an order for interlocutory injunction in order to get the striking members of the two unions, TUTAG and TUSAAG, to call off their strike and return to work.

TUSAAG

Members of TUSAAG withdrew their services on October 21, 2019 and later suspended it following a communiqué signed between TUSAAG and the government, represented by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, which was confirmed by the NLC in its ruling on November 4, 2019.

The association, at a press conference addressed by its President, Mr Edem Honu, said cognisant of the same NLC ruling binding the government to pay allowances to its members, and by extension to deserving senior members of technical universities by December 31, 2019, the government, through its agencies, had failed to comply with the NLC’s directive.

Strike

“Consequently, the National Executive Committee of TUSAAG, at an emergency meeting last Wednesday, resolved to resume its suspended strike with immediate effect, until the government complies with the NLC’s ruling, including the full disclosures of all allowances paid to senior members in public universities to our members,” Mr Honu said.

TUTAG

TUTAG, on the other hand, declared a nationwide strike over the delay in the payment of allowances of its members across the country.

The strike, it said, was going to affect teaching, invigilation and marking of scripts, adding that “all other services shall continue until otherwise determined by TUTAG Congress”.

“Having fulfilled the statutory requirement of the Labour Law, TUTAG hereby declares an indefinite strike on this day, January 6, 2020.

TUTAG shall call off the strike only upon the fulfilment of the National Labour Commission (NLC) ruling of October 28, 2019,” a statement signed by the President of TUTAG, Dr Solomon Keelson, said.