Court slaps UTAG with 3,000 cost in NLC injunction case

The Labor Court, 1 division of the High Court, awarded a sum of 3,000 to the Association of University Teachers of Ghana (UTAG).

According to the court, UTAG wasted time due to its inability to complete the proceedings when the court met to hear the injunction case brought before the association by the National Labor Commission (NLC ) on strike action.

UTAG lawyers hoped the court would overlook the intimidating filing process for the sake of speed. Instead, the court, unconvinced of the turn of events, awarded costs to UTAG.

The case was adjourned until Wednesday August 19, 2021.

The High Court further said the standoff between the two over strike action should be removed from the tribunal.

The members of the UTAG, since August 2, 2021, have put down their tools by demanding an improvement in their conditions of service.

The strike resulted in the cancellation of end-of-semester exams at most public universities, leading some final year students to complain that they are not enjoying the best university life because of the strike.

According to them, the strike has left them powerless as no supervisor takes care of their project work, which is a mandatory requirement for graduation.

“We keep coming back to the indefinite of the whole [strike]. The University’s response so far has been “to suspend exams and postpone reopening for the next cohort”. It just added to how uncertain things have become for us, ”a student told JoyNews on Wednesday.

The NLC, subsequently, on Friday August 6, 2021, obtained an interlocutory injunction from the labor court to force the UTAG to cancel its strike.

UTAG insists that they will not call off the strike until their demands are met, as negotiations between UTAG and the government have broken down.