UTAG remains resolute on strike, Tuesday, October 12, 2010, Back page

THE University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has reaffirmed its resolve to withdraw its services until the actual value of entry-level salaries of its members are restored.

“What is at stake is the government’s failure to honour its own promise to restore the entry-level salary of the lecturer as originally agreed with government and pay our genuine arrears spanning from the beginning of 2009 to present,” it said.

Addressing a press conference after its meeting in Accra with Vice-chancellors, Ghana, the umbrella body of vice-chancellors of public universities in the country, the National President of UTAG, Dr Samuel Asiedu-Addo, said in spite of the payment schedule the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) signed and forwarded to UTAG, the ministry failed to pay any of the arrears, adding that the minister had not found it necessary to respond to UTAG’s communication.

He said the ministry’s response to UTAG’s withdrawal of service in a letter dated October 6, 2010 sent to Vice-chancellors, Ghana further amplified the insensitivity of the government to UTAG’s concerns.

He stated that at its meeting with Vice-chancellors, Ghana, UTAG realised that efforts were being made to resolve the current impasse and remained hopeful that an amicable settlement would be reached in due course.

Dr Asiedu-Addo said UTAG regretted any inconvenience the current stalemate might cause parents and students in the affected universities and appealed to “all stakeholders to bear with us and impress upon the government to honour its obligation as contained in our agreement”.

Giving a background to the present situation, he said UTAG concluded a salary road map agreement with the government in 2008 which was to correct salary distortions and restructure the conditions of service of senior members of public universities to attract and retain young, highly qualified lecturers to teach in the country’s public universities, rather than lose them to sister universities in other countries, the growing number of private universities and businesses.

By the terms of the road map, the entry salary of the lecturer was pegged to the equivalent of $1,500, to be paid in cedis.

Additionally, per the agreement, the salaries of senior members of public universities were to be adjusted any time the dollar-cedi exchange rate fluctuated.

According to Dr Asiedu-Addo, that explained why when the cedi was stronger than the dollar in 2008, UTAG accepted that the entry level of a lecturer be pegged at less than GH¢1,400 to reflect the agreement signed with the government.

“By the structure of the agreement, therefore, our salary arrears became outstanding from the beginning of 2009 when the Ghana cedi started sliding down in value in relation to the dollar,” he stated.

He said UTAG sent the concern to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, which, after certifying the legitimacy of the claim, forwarded it to the MoFEP, adding that by letters dated June 14 and 25, 2010, the Minister of Finance agreed to restore parity and actually provided a payment schedule by which the outstanding arrears for 2009 and 2010 were to be paid in five instalments, beginning July 2010.