Despite a lawsuit filed against it by the National Labour Commission, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) says its nationwide strike will continue indefinitely.
The NLC is asking the High Court in Accra for an interlocutory injunction to compel the lecturers to return to work. On Thursday, February 4, 2022, the case is anticipated to be heard. The lecturers, who are demanding better working conditions, claim that the National Labour Commission has been unable to break the impasse.
They insist that they will not be forced to call off the strike unless the government provides a suitable answer. General Secretary of the University of Ghana Chapter of UTAG, Prof. Ransford Gyampo noted that the association remains unshaken by the legal processes.
The suit doesn’t bother anyone. We knew that was what the NLC was going to do, and we were prepared. They even delayed, and it took them a long time to go to court. The court is presided over by competent judges who will be able to look at the merit of the case. It should be put out there that the earlier case via ex-parte to restrain us from continuing with the strike was not granted by the court. So we are going there on Thursday in person to explain why our strike should continue. That is what we are bent on doing, so we will meet the NLC in court
There have been calls for the lecturers’ strike, which is now in its fourth week, to be called off, but they say that they would only return to the lecture hall after their demands are met.
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The National Labour Commission (NLC), on the other hand, claims to be sure that it would prevail in the legal struggle against the striking lecturers. UTAG has already said that it is prepared to file strong legal arguments in order to continue its strike in pursuit of better working conditions.
The Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission, Ofosu Asamoah in an interview said the lecturers do not have a strong case.
We have till Thursday to go to Court. So we will just wait to make our case. The Court will decide the next move. If indeed UTAG has a point as they insist, the Court will decide that. What matters is that whatever happens is in the best interest of Ghanaians.We are very confident of winning this case. UTAG is well aware of this
Meanwhile, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, has stated that his ministry is working with the University Teachers Association of Ghana, UTAG.
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