Three unions have announced their intention to initiate industrial action on August 9, 2024, if the Ministry of Finance does not authorize the payment of agreed-upon allowances by August 8, 2024.
The unions involved are the Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), the Federation of Senior Staff Associations of Ghana (FUSSAG), and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union of the Trade Union Congress (TEWU-TUC).
The unions have raised concerns about the Finance Ministry’s failure to issue a directive for the payment of the Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (VMA) and other related allowances.
In a statement issued on Monday, August 5, the unions declared, “The Unions have given the government (Ministry) up to the close of work on Thursday, August 8, to release the letter. Failure to do so will result in the Unions being forced to take industrial action on August 9, 2024. SSA-UoG, FUSSAG, and TEWU (TUC) are committed to fighting for the rights of their members and will not rest until justice is served.”
The unions added, “The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has done the needful by writing to the Ministry of Finance for payment to be effected. We have tried to engage the Ministry on several occasions to release a letter to that effect so our members could be paid, but the Ministry has refused.”
They criticized the disparity in payment, noting that universities receiving government subventions have received their payments, including arrears, while those directly on the Controller and Accountant General’s payroll have been excluded.
The unions also alleged that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has halted the implementation of the new payment rates by universities. “Now the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission is ordering the universities not to pay the new rate until a letter from the Ministry authorizing the payment is released. Consequently, even those receiving the new rate are going to be denied it, while those on the Controller payroll remain unaffected.”
The unions concluded that the government is employing “Machiavellian tactics” to evade fulfilling the agreement reached with them.
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