A group of university lecturers and professors who are also members of the University Teachers Association (UTAG) has called on their national body to immediately call of the strike action.
Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, the group which calls itself the ‘Silent Majority of UTAG’, indicated that the NEC’s decision to sacrifice the academic needs of students for a cause that is not at the core of their mandate must be abandoned with immediate effect.
It also called on UTAG to constitute a team that will monitor the implementation of the government’s roadmap to addressing the galamsey menace. The group also asked UTAG to take leadership in inviting all Presidential Candidates including parliamentary Candidates in Mining Constituencies to sign and publicly declare their support for the national actions being taken to address illegal mining in Ghana.
Professor Isaac Boadi, the Dean of Accounting and Finance at the University for Professional Studies who addressed the press on behalf of the group said “On October 2, 2024, the National Leadership of UTAG sent a correspondence (UTAGN/2024/Vol.2/0070) instructing campuses to vote on a motion:“Should the NEC of UTAG declare an industrial action in support of the nationwide ban on mining and prospecting for gold and other minerals in forest reserves, farms, and rivers?”
“This letter requested member campuses to decide on the motion by October 8, 2024. This deadline was given to member campuses to enable the NEC of UTAG to decide whether to join Organised Labour’s nationwide strike or otherwise, which had been advertised to start on Thursday, October 10. This is why membership of UTAG overwhelmingly voted in support of the motion for NEC of UTAG to declare an industrial action in support of the nationwide ban on mining and prospecting for gold and other minerals in forest reserves, farms, and rivers”
He averred that the mandate given to the NEC of UTAG as witnessed in the overwhelming endorsement to support Organised Labour, ended when the mother body, Organised Labour, suspended the strike based upon its engagements with the government. It, therefore, makes UTAG’s strike moot.
“As observed by the motion, our endorsement was in support of Organised Labour to embark on a nationwide strike. UTAG as a member of Organised Labour was represented and took part in all deliberations. It is based on this that UTAG found itself a seat at the Organised Labour Meeting held on October 9, 2024, which led to the suspension of the intended nationwide strike based on the government’s response to the concerns of Organised Labour. It stands to reason that the mandate granted to the NEC expired with the suspension of the strike by Organised Labour”
‘We were, therefore, taken aback by the media commentary by some members of NEC and the subsequent declaration of an indefinite strike by NEC. Respectfully, this was not the mandate that the NEC of UTAG sought from member campuses. It is our collective conviction that UTAG NEC should have referred the matter back to member campuses to allow for a separate motion to be voted on instead of the unilateral decision they took” he further stated.
The group called on UTAG’s NEC to rather focus on how to hold the government accountable to implement the agreed measures to combat galamsey instead of going on a strike. ”We are of the firm conviction that the NEC should focus its attention on holding the government accountable for how it is implementing the roadmap that was presented to Organised Labour of which UTAG was represented.
“This, we believe, would be solution-driven and would yield the expected impact. We strongly believe that UTAG-Executives are elected to represent the interest of all members and not just ‘some’. As such, the concerns of all members must be taken seriously.
“We are by this statement requesting the following immediate actions from the National Leadership of UTAG by Friday, October 18, 2024.
- Call off the strike immediately.
- Constitute a team that will monitor the implementation of the government’s roadmap to addressing the galamsey menace.
- Take leadership in inviting all Presidential Candidates including parliamentary Candidates in Mining Constituencies to sign and publicly declare their support for the national actions being taken to address illegal mining in Ghana” the group demanded.
“We wish to put on record that, our intention is not to undermine the efforts of leadership, but to ensure that the right thing is done at all times in the interest of the Association and the country. We remain committed to working together towards a resolution that protects the interests of all members while maintaining unity within the union and the country at large,” Professor Boadi said.
“We commend the Ghanaian populace for their collective resolve in addressing the menace of galamsey once and for all. We call on the media, Presidential and Parliamentary candidates, our revered chiefs, youth in mining communities, the security forces, and the entire Ghanaian populace to work together to win this battle,” the group emphasized.
The following are some of the members of UTAG who form this group that is asking UTAG-NEC to call off the strike: Ophelia Philomena Aovare, Graham billa, AmatusDinye, all of CK. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences Navrongo. From UCC, the following members represented: Dr Justice Kwaku Addo, Prof Kwame Osei Kwarteng, Prof Kwasi Opoku Boadi, Dr Tenkorang, Dr. Emmanuel Asante, Dr Otchere Darko.
UEW was represented by Mr Eric Sakyi Nketiah, Mr. Emmanuel Owusu, Wilson Dabuo, Prof Evans Asante, Daniel Opoku, Joshua-Luther Ndoye Upoalkpajor, etc.
Prof Eddie Appiah, DR. Michael Nimoh, Isaac Kofi Appiah, Dr. Hubert Bimpeh Asiedu, Emmanuel Amankwaa, were some UTAG members from KNUST.
Prof Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, Prof Isaac Boadi, Lawrence Aziale, Dr. Kofi Baah Boamah, Godwin Kusi Dankwa, etc were from UPSA. Dr. Hayford Ayerakwa, Dr. George Domfe, Dr. Fred Boateng, amongst others were from the University of Ghana.
Editor’s note: Views expressed in this article do not represent that of The Chronicle
