UTAG embarrassed itself with strike – Okudzeto Ablakwa

daniel russell

August 14, 2015 5:55 AM

UTAG on Thursday suspended its week-long strike over government’s delay in the payment of books and research allowance.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Education, in charge of Tertiary Education

The members and leadership of the University Teachers Association (UTAG) subjected themselves to embarrassment by embarking on strike, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Deputy Minister in charge of tertiary education, has observed.

“There were several meetings that took place, we brought everybody on board, made them know that if it is the case that negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on the take-off of the National Research Fund does not happen by June, we will pay the book and research allowances. As early as 13 July, that letter had gone so I am really at a loss why that should have been done and it hurt me very much that the leadership of UTAG should subject themselves to this embarrassment,” he said on Citi FM’s on Thursday.

But Samuel Bekoe, president of UTAG on the same platform maintained that if the association had not embarked on a strike action, their demands would not have been met.

“Why did they have to wait till we went on strike before that happened? So they are rather trying to throw dust into the eyes of the public. It is when we acted before act either than that they will be sitting there doing nothing,” he said.

“The other point is that we have not called off the strike, we said we have suspended it because we gave them a mark, they have met the mark but because of their actions we don’t have trust in them so we have given them September 30 to show that they are going to pay. When the money hits our accounts then we will be satisfied that they have paid either than that we would have to revisit the matter all over again,” Mr. Bekoe added.

UTAG on Thursday suspended its week-long strike over government’s delay in the payment of 2014/2015 books and research allowance.

The suspension came two days after the University of Ghana resumed for academic work.

daniel russell

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