The Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana has directed its members to lay down their tools as it joins organized labour to demand payment of a 20% Cost of Living Allowance, ‘COLA’.
The workers are also piling pressure on the government to pay their accrued interest on tier two pension arrears from 2016 to 2021.
The decision by the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana brings to five the number of unions so far on strike over COLA demands.
Addressing the media, the National Chairman of the Association, Isaac Donkoh urged their members to withdraw their services until they get positive feedback from the government.
“Today, the Senior Staff of Public Universities will address you. I want to make this clear to all our workers. With this particular strike, we will not exempt any staff. Teaching staff, you are going home. Principal staff, you are going home. Drivers, you are going home”, Donkor said as it accuses the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission of attempts to freeze the salaries of their members following the decision.
“Yesterday they threatened to freeze our salaries [if we embark on strike] and we will tell them we are capable [of declaring the strike]. We have said if we do not hear anything positive from them, we will lay down our tools. We are demanding 20 percent COLA and nothing else.”
The Association has added to the prevailing labour unrest amid fears of the possible closure of public institutions. The government will have to reverse this trend as it begins talks with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, for financial support.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH, Citinewsroom.com contributed to this report
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