Striking tertiary workers say the government has scheduled a meeting with them for Thursday, February 1, 2024.
This meeting is expected to address the concerns that prompted the members to take industrial action.
The Senior Staff, Teachers, and Educational Workers Union, in collaboration with the Ghana Association of University Administrators at the University of Ghana, is demanding the payment of their delayed tier 2 pensions with compound interest, as well as improved working conditions.
Ken Botchway, chairman of the Legon branch of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), believes it is a positive step forward.
“We would like to view our meeting with the Minister of Labor, Employment, and Pensions—possibly on February 1st—as a positive development. After that, we’ll take it from there. We’ll inform the media of any developments,” he stated.
At a meeting to inform members of the status of the industrial action thus far on Monday, January 29, 2024, Mr. Botchway disclosed this information.
Nonetheless, he said that there has been progress made on a few issues pertaining to their terms of service.
However, issues with the pension calculation are still problematic and will be at the top of the agenda on February 1.
It is the duty of the government to employ compound interest rather than simple interest. Pensioners will suffer if the government uses simple interest, according to our source.
Despite the National Labour Commission’s order to halt the strike, the Senior Staff Association of Public Universities has insisted that it is still going strong.
The leadership of the association maintains that before taking any action to end the strike unilaterally, they must still get together and hold talks with their members.
Isaac Donkoh, the association’s national chairman, emphasized that the organization will put its members’ interests first and won’t make snap decisions.
