The Tertiary Education Workers Union (TEWU), alongside two other university unions, namely the Senior Staff Association of the University of Ghana (SSA-UoG) and the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), has issued a stern ultimatum to the government. They demand the restoration of their withheld allowances within a two-week timeframe.
Dr. Beth Offei-Awuku, the National President of GAUA, conveyed their concerns during a press conference held in Accra. She emphasized that the non-payment of these allowances has inflicted undue hardship upon their members, making the situation unsustainable.
In the event that the government does not comply with their demand and restore the allowances by October 15, 2023, these unions have threatened to initiate a withdrawal of services across all public universities in the country.
On a separate note, Organised Labour has issued a directive to its members, urging them to follow proper channels when planning and organizing demonstrations. This includes seeking police approval for such actions. Joshua Ansah, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), underscored the importance of adhering to the correct procedures, emphasizing that it provides the necessary authorization for carrying out protests.
“We are a law-abiding organisation. We normally write to the police the number of days that is required which is five days to the police,” Ansah said.
“The police also have the duty to respond. If they are satisfied with all the arrangements, the routes, the destination, the starting points, and the time of closing, I think that they can give us the go-ahead.”
“I don’t think the police would dream of stopping us from having our demonstration or strike after we have informed them in accordance with the law,” he stated.