University Classrooms Remain Empty As UTAG Defies Court Order To End Strike

Classrooms in universities across the country remained empty through Wednesday, February 16, 2022, in spite of a court order to the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to end its strike.

The strike thus enters its sixth week.

Dr. Samuel Nkumbaan, University of Ghana Chapter President for UTAG had earlier explained the lecturers are yet to receive the certified copy of the ruling by which they will determine the next line of action.

“We are yet to get the certified copy that will give us the specific details that the court is requiring of us so categorically we cannot state as we speak that we are going back to the classroom tomorrow,” he said on Tuesday.

The Labor Division of the Accra High Court on Tuesday granted an injunction application filed against the strike by the Universities Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) by the National Labor Commission.

Last month, the NLC had filed the injunction to compel the university teachers to return to the lecture halls, but the court first urged the two parties to try resolving the impasse out of court.

But an out-of-court resolution ended inconclusively.

After the meeting, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Bright Wireku Brobbey told journalists that the government is expecting the unions to do the needful.

“In the spirit of transparency and very mutual respect for them, they have assured them that whatever allowance is due them because they were captured in the 2022 budget January they are going to be paid. Therefore the Commission has directed that they go and call off the strike immediately,” Wireku Brobby said.

However, UTAG refused to call off the strike, causing the NLC to go to court to enforce its order.

UTAG has been on strike since January 10, 2022, in demand for better conditions of service. The National Labour Commission dragged UTAG to court after an attempt to have UTAG call off its strike failed.