Members of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) are reportedly intensifying pressure on their leadership to declare a nationwide strike, escalating a conflict over service conditions within technical universities across the nation.
The catalyst for this impending industrial action is the ongoing standoff at the Bolgatanga Technical University, where members have taken to the picket lines, fervently demanding the immediate implementation of the previously agreed-upon end-of-service benefits.
The national leadership of TUTAG has responded swiftly, convening an emergency congress scheduled for this coming Friday, where a pivotal decision will be made regarding collective industrial action. The source of the dispute primarily centres on the interpretation of Section 42 (6) of the Technical Universities Act 2016 (Act 922) as amended.
This section stipulates that individuals previously employed by polytechnics before the enactment of the Act should be deemed to have been duly employed by the respective Technical University.
Last year, a similar disagreement culminated in strike action as TUTAG members demanded improved service conditions. During these negotiations, it was decisively resolved that years of service rendered under polytechnics would be seamlessly continued under technical universities. However, Bolgatanga Technical University has defiantly disregarded this directive, sparking the ongoing strike by its teaching staff.
TUTAG’s President, Prof. Collins Ameyaw, expressed his discontentment with the confusion persisting in some universities, stating, “According to the law, the service to the technical university is a continued service. There was no point the service was truncated. We were not paid off during the conversion, we were not given new appointment letters; it was a continuation process.”
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has entered the fray, seeking an interpretation of Section 42(6) of the Act from the Attorney General and Minister of Justice. In a recent statement issued by GTEC, they recommended that retiring staff who served during the polytechnic era be entitled to two separate retirement benefits.
However, TUTAG vehemently opposes this interpretation, asserting that if Bolgatanga Technical University’s stance is accepted, it would necessitate the recall of those who have already received benefits to refund them. This could potentially have a cascading effect on all Technical Universities, a prospect that TUTAG has strived to prevent throughout this protracted conflict.