The Senior Staff Association of the Universities of Ghana has served notice to the government and its allied agencies to as a matter of urgency, take immediate steps to address their concerns in the face of the deteriorating cost of living.
The Association in a Press Release signed by its National Chairman and Secretary, Isaac Donkoh and Hector Owoahene-Acheampong respectively, indicated that the deteriorating cost of living of its members as a result of the rising cost of fuel prices, goods, and services, and the introduction of new taxes, as well as the high inflation rate, is making the living conditions of members unbearable hence, demands the 20% Cost of Living Allowance (CoLA) in order to help cushion the living standard of its members.
They stated that the National Leadership of the Association at its 16th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at KNUST, Kumasi on the 25th June, 2022 resolved to embark on industrial strike action if the government fails to address these concerns.
“The Leadership has also observed with the greatest of displeasure by the failure of the Government and Management of Public Universities to implement agreements in our conditions of Service and also have failed to address the under listed issues of concern: Failure by some Public University Management to respect and implement the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission’s (GITEC) directives on promotion and upgrading of Senior Staff to Senior Member positions in Public Universities in Ghana, contained in a letter dated 24th December, 2021.”
“Government’s failure to pay all Tier-2 outstanding interest from 2010 to 2016 to its members according to the expressed dictate of the National Pension Act, 2008 (act 766). This unfortunate development has brought untold hardship and depression to its members who were due for retirement to the extent that some members who retired lost their lives due to this unbearable condition. Failure by some Public University Management to regularize the appointment of Casual and Temporal Staff who have worked for six (6) years and above which clearly breaches the Labour Act 2003, Act 651.”
The Association also noted the failure to pay some generic allowances to all Senior Staff across board as enshrined in their Conditions of Service, failure By GTEC and FWSC to award Senior Staff Support Allowances (SSSA) as other Associations have Been granted and paid through internally generated find (IGF) and the failure by government to act fairly to extend the award of interim Market Premium (IMP) to the Senior Staff cadre.
The Association said, it will not accommodate any failures on the part of the government in addressing these concerns and that leadership will have no choice but rather advise itself accordingly should government fails to address their concerns on or before July 13, 2022