The Labour Division of the Accra High Court has placed an injunction on the current strike by the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG).
The Court’s decision comes after the National Labour Commission (NLC) requested an interlocutory injunction to stop UTAG’s strike while discussions continue. The order requires UTAG to suspend the strike and return to the negotiating table.
As a result, UTAG is anticipated to call a halt to the strike until the Court rules on the NLC’s substantive application.
The Court, presided over by Justice Frank Aboadwe Rockson, stated that if the strike persists, continuing negotiations between the parties may not generate any results. On two instances, the Court had asked both parties to try to reach an out-of-court settlement.
The way Foward…
As a result, Justice Aboadwe Rockson issued the injunction.
Kwasi Keli-Delataa, UTAG’s lawyer, opposed to the motion and urged with the Court to decide the case but judge, however, overruled it.
The case has been adjourned for to February 22, 2022.
UTAG Strike Update: The Situation Now
Students have been left stranded on several campuses of public Universities and some at home because their Lectures’ strike looks to have no end in sight.
However, on both occasions, UTAG stated that they had yet to receive a specific offer from the government, resulting in all meetings ending in a stalemate.
Background…
UTAG embarked on the industrial action on 10th January. The NLC then took UTAG to court after deeming the university teachers’ strike to be illegal.
The lecturers were thus told to return to the lecture halls, but they did not, causing the Commission to take legal action.
This follows last year’s strike which is all an attempt to demand better conditions of service from Government.
UTAG Demands
UTAG wants the government to reinstate the 2012 service conditions, which set the monthly salary for entry-level lecturers at $2,084.
The Association claims that the new agreement has decreased the basic rates for its members to $997.84.
