Educational workers at KNUST refuse to suspend strike

Members of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) at the KNUST are not suspending their industrial action as directed by the national executives of the Union.

The action, they say is in protest against non-payment of Interim Market Premium arrears and monthly overtime allowance to members at KNUST Hospital.

According to Charles Arthur, the local TEWU Chairman at KNUST, the Union will continue with the strike until management of the University pays the six month arrears and allowance.

“We think this is the time for us to push them to pay the arrears; that is the reason why we are not suspending our strike at KNUST,” he told Luv Fm.

The decision was taken and endorsed by Union members at a General Meeting held on October 16, 2013.

The Union has threatened to withdraw all services on campus from Wednesday.

“We’re going to withdraw almost everybody so that the entire KNUST TEWU members will not work until that payment is effected, because we have seen that management has not being kind to TEWU members”, stated Mr. Arthur.

Management of the University has yet to meet with the TEWU leadership to address the outstanding issues.

TEWU-KNUST joined the five-week long nationwide strike, withdrawing about 70 percent of services on campus.

The workers have been demanding correction of disparities and distortions in the grading structure for members under the Single Spine Salary Structure.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Local government workers’ groups clash over industrial action

Government business in the country is expected to grind to a halt as civil servants begin an indefinite nationwide strike.

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) has directed its national, regional and district offices to be closed down effective today.

Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe-Addo, in a statement says the industrial action is in response to government’s failure to address outstanding issues with regard to the payment of premium to its members.

Leadership of the Association in Ashanti region has vowed to ensure members stay out of work till the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) rescinds its decision in terminating the Voluntary Arbitration in settling the grievances.

However, the Local Government Workers’ Union (LGWU) is unhappy with CLOGSAG in locking up of offices of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembles (MMDAs) to force LGWU members to join their strike.

“It is regrettable that CLOGSAG executives have gone ahead to lock up some of the offices of the MMDAs and Departments to force the staff to participate in a needless and uncalled for strike action,” said a statement signed by Joe Boahen, LGWU General Secretary.

Some of the affected offices are New Juabeng and Asuogyaman in the Eastern Region, Mamponteng in Ashanti and others in parts of the Central region.

The Union is therefore calling on the authorities concerned to sanction the CLOGSAG executives who locked the offices. “This is because the local government workers do not take instructions from CLOGSAG”, it said.

The LGWU last Friday cautioned workers of the MMDAs and Departments not to join the CLOGSAG strike action, because the leadership of the Union “will continue to choose the path of dialogue and labour discourse devoid of rancor and divisiveness”.

The Union says it is working closely with the authorities concerned to address the Migration, Market Premuim and other related issues associated with the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP).

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

University workers begin industrial action in demand of allowances

Members of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) at the Kwame Nkrumah Unoverity of Science and Technology (KNUST) have started an exercise that may see them staying out of post from Tuesday.

The industrial action is in protest of non-payment of some outstanding allowances for the past 30 months.

The workers are clad in red shirts and arm bands to signify their displeasure.

This comes on the heels of the recent strike to the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) which disrupted academic activities.

Chairman of the local TEWU, Charles Arthur says management of the University has been slow in responding to the welfare of the workers.

He said management for the past two to three years “have denied us our request to pay our overtime arrears, our hospital allowance arrears and also promotion; they have brought in something which is alien to our promotion procedures, then the placement of our members on the single spine [salary structure]”.

Mr. Arthur explains the action has been taken in the consideration of essential services and students who are due to start end of semester exams in few days.

“Now we’ve allowed the essential services to continue going on depending on the fact that they [management] will hear whatever we are saying so that within shortest possible time they’ll listen to us. If they refuse, we’ll have no option than to withdraw all of them”, he warned.

 

Full withdrawal of services will affect service delivery at the Tech Hospital and sanitation on campus.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh