The Ministry of Education says it has reached an agreement with the leadership of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) over its intended strike.

UTAG had threatened to resume its strike on Friday if the government fails to show commitment to its demand for better working conditions and implementation of the 2012 memorandum, which pegged their salaries at US$1500 to US$2000.

The group asked its members to resume their suspended strike because negotiations with the government were still inconclusive a month after it suspended the earlier strike.

But Head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Education, Kwesi Kwarteng in a Citi News interview said, the two parties have reached a consensus making way for UTAG to rescind its decision.

“I can confirm that there has been some form of agreement between the two parties. Earlier, UTAG had threatened industrial action, but by virtue of the agreement we had and the meeting we just concluded, the strike will not be coming off, so you have government having a consensus with UTAG”, he said.

About earlier strike
UTAG members had been on strike since the beginning of August 2021 because they want the government to restore the conditions of service agreed upon in 2012 which they said was far better than the current situation.

The 2012 Single Spine package put entry-level lecturers on a salary of $2,084 while the current level puts lecturers’ salaries around $900.

The strike by UTAG severely affected academic and some non-academic work at the various tertiary campuses.

The High Court’s Labour Division, 1, advised the National Labour Commission (NLC), and UTAG, to settle the stalemate over their industrial action out of Court.

UTAG had earlier indicated that it will only call off its strike completely upon successful negotiation with the government and the NLC.