UTAG-UG members reject outcome of negotiations between government and national wing

University of Ghana students or those planning to start their studies there in the next academic year should expect disruption from January 2022.

This is because the speakers rejected the agreements made between the national leadership and the government on their terms of service.

In a strongly worded letter to UTAG National, the UG branch says the $ 1,600 each agreed for research allowance and entry point salary value for lecturers cannot be accepted.

It has been a long-standing battle between professors at public universities across the country and the government over their terms of service.

UTAG requires the implementation of a 2012 Single Spine package that puts entry-level speakers on a salary of $ 2,084.

But negotiations were hampered with UTAG threatening industrial actions.

In August, they were forced to call off their strike following a court ruling after the National Labor Commission (NLC) initiated compulsory arbitration.

That didn’t lead to much until emergency talks between the UTAG negotiating team and government officials resulted in some agreements this week. But UTAG members reject them.

In a letter to UTAG management, UTAG-UG said it overwhelmingly rejects said amount of $ 1,600 payable by 2024, agreed in the memorandum of understanding by the negotiating team of the ‘UTAG and accepted by the National Executive Committee of UTAG, as a research grant.

UTAG-UG maintains that instead of the agreed $ 1,600, its members will only accept the cedi equivalent, which it says represents the salary value of the speaker entry point in 2013.

UTAG-UG has already notified its intention to go on strike from January 2022, the date scheduled for the start of the academic year, unless its request is met.

UTAG-UG also indicates that it is awaiting the results of the labor market survey scheduled for December 2021 to resume negotiations with the government on the market premium and base salary.

And finally, it demands that the negotiating team be reconstituted to take advantage of the expertise of selected members in public universities to ensure professional discussions during negotiations and quality results beneficial to UTAG members. .