Labour unrest: Tamale Technical University teachers withdraw services over allowances

Teachers at the Tamale Technical University (TaTU) in the Northern Region have withdrawn their services for the ongoing end-of-semester examination with immediate effect.

According to the striking teachers, their decision to withdraw services is a result of the failure of the university management to implement the End of Service Benefit (ESB) using the one-month one-year served formula as contained in the approved condition of service.

They said it is also due to delayed payment of Internally Generated Fund (IGF) related allowances by the university authority.

Addressing the media on the back of the ongoing sit-down strike, the Local Vice Chairman of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) Dr. Abdul Malik Bawa directed all TUTAG members not to participate in the ongoing examination including the marking of scripts, supervision of project works and other related academic activities until further notice.

“You would recall that a letter dated 25th April 2023, addressed to the Chairman of Council, and copied to the Vice Chancellor among others, TUTAG indicated we will resist any attempt to implement the payment of the ESB using the unapproved hybrid formula contained in the outdated MoU of May 6, 2022. Therefore, we are surprised that the management has disregarded our letter and has proceeded to implement the ESB based on their preferred formula,” he said.

Dr Bawa said their members are demanding the commitment of the university management to implement the ESB using the one-month one-year served formula contained in conditions of service approved by the government, he said the teachers are also demanding the payment of all delayed Internally Generated Fund-related allowances. He stressed that until all their concerns are addressed as contained in the document his members will remain on strike.

Dr Bawa also said TUTAG will proceed to court should management proceed to implement ESB using any formula rather than the approved formula.

Meanwhile, students who are on the receiving end of the ongoing impasse have been left stranded amid their exams. More than 6,000 students offering Diploma, HND, Degree, and Intermediate programs are affected.

Some of the students who also spoke to the media said they reported to school to write their last papers only for them to be told that the exams were not coming on because their teachers did not show up. The aggrieved students however converged at the administration block of the school to register their displeasure against the management. Meanwhile, some of them have been calling for the head of the Vice Chancellor describing his leadership as one lacking conscientiousness.

The Public Affairs Director of the Tamale Technical University Osman Mubarik Abu assured the students that management is working hard with TUTAG to address their concerns and suspend the strike and get back to lecture halls to allow them to resume their exams.

Source: newsalertgh.com