Felix Engmann, the vice-president of the Technical University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (TUTAG), has served notice of an industrial action in the next 10 days if the government fails to honour the codified conditions of service of members.
Speaking on The Big Bulletin on Monday (7 November), Engmann said: “We are currently sending message to the government that should they fail to honour their part of the bargain then we can resort to industrial action.”
“We wrote to the NLC and it will interest you to know that the NLC ruled on the issue directing government to take certain steps, one of which the Ministry of Finance was supposed to issue a letter authorising our authority to factor into the budget and it was still not done.”
Taking advantage of government
A labour expert, Yiadom Boakye Amponsah, said on the same programme that the striking teacher unions are merely trying to take advantage of the volatile economic conditions in Ghana.
“The environment in which we are at the moment is very rife for employees to demand what they think is due them. Now it appears the government is very vulnerable at this stage,” he said.
“Because I mean, you do this when you believe that your stakeholder who is your employer will crumble easily and at the moment there are several punches from all over the place, everywhere there is a punch,” he told sit-in host, Caleb Ahinakwah.
He, however, entreated the government to address the teachers’ concerns quickly and tactically.
“The striking worker normally wouldn’t mind too much about your bailout or whatever,” he said, adding that, “it is your assurances and the sincerity of the assurance that you give that will enable them to appreciate and understand your position.”
Listen to Boakye Amposah in the attached audio clip below:
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