University senior staff embark on nationwide strike, decry gov’t neglect of welfare concerns

The Senior Staff Association of Public Universities in Ghana (SSA-UoG) and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff (FUSSAG) have jointly announced an indefinite strike, effective immediately, citing the government’s persistent neglect of their welfare concerns.

Among the grievances leading to the strike are the government’s failure to address issues related to pensions and the alleged illegal cancellation of their overtime allowance.

Isaac Donkoh, National Chairman of the SSA-UoG, emphasized during a press conference at the University of Ghana in Accra that the government should bear responsibility for the consequences of its actions.

Donkoh stated, “As leadership, we are forced to declare indefinite strike action. The government has failed to release our tier 2 pension to our fund managers since February 2023. We urgently demand the release of all outstanding arrears to our fund managers, along with the payment of accrued interest at a three per cent rate.”

The association is also calling for a recalculation of accrued interest from 2010 to 2016, as agreed upon in July 2022. Additionally, they are urging the government to promptly settle all outstanding arrears for staff on pension from 2020 to 2023.

The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) have been urged to withdraw specific letters dated November 7th and November 20th, respectively.

In light of these demands, the union has instructed its members to refrain from reporting to work until further notice.

The nationwide strike takes effect immediately, with the expectation that no staff member will attend work until the issues are addressed.

Source:dailymailgh