The University for Development Studies (UDS) branch of the Senior Staff Association, universities of Ghana (SSA-UG) have on Monday, 29th November 2021 suspended its intention to embark on an industrial action.
The intended strike was schedule for 29th November 2021.
But at a press briefing on Monday morning to update its members on their action plan, the National Chairman of SSA-UG, Zacharias Mohammed said the decision to back down on the intended strike action follows several interventions by the management of the University.
He said management has taken the needed steps to resolved the displeasure expressed by the senior staff.
Zacharias Mohammed thus asked members of the Association to remain at post. “We were supposed to go on strike today November 29, 2021 but we are not more going”, he emphasized.
The Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana sometime back announced their intention to embark on strike over the current management system/guidelines put in place at the Universities in relation to Administration and professional staff promotions, appointment and upgrade.
The National Chairman of SSA-UG, Zacharias Mohammed, while suspending the strike also expressed worry over the introduction of examination writing to determine the suitability of saving staff to the next rank/grade.
“This is very strange to us and clearly provides an avenue for wanton discriminations against those that are not in the “good books” of management”, he lamented.
Read the full statement Below
Suspension of Intention to Embark on Industrial Strike
_Good Morning, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, you are all welcome to this important press briefing. We want to use this opportunity to thank you immensely for honoring our invitation at a very short noticed. The purpose of today’s press briefing is to provide you with updates on our intended Strike action scheduled for November 29th, 2021.
This follows series of meetings and engagements between Senior Staff Association and the University’s Management culminating in prudent pragmatic steps taken to resolve our earlier displeasure, frustrations and dissatisfactions expressed by the Senior Staff cadre over the current management system/guidelines put in place in relation to Administrative and Professional Staff promotions/Appointments/Upgrade.
Among these worrying and regrettably unfortunate decisions were the following:
Failure and refusal to recognize the under listed Certificates/Qualifications for the purposes of the above subject matter in both vertically and horizontally.
- First Degree Honors in Third Class and Pass Awarded by Accredited Universities in Ghana.
- Masters of Business Administration (MBA), Masters of Science(MSc.) and Masters of Alts (M. A) in related disciplines
- Refusal and failure to promote, upgrade or appoint Senior Staff who have acquired new certificates base on either ranW positions or both.
- The alien institutionalization of pre-examinations conducted on servicing staff even before the traditional established formal interview takes place.
- Failure to recognize Distance, Sandwich and Part-Time Certificates acquired /awarded to serving staff.
This unjustifiable introduction of examination writings to determine the suitability of serving Senior Staff to the next ranWgrade was again very strange to us and clearly provides an avenue for wanton discriminations against those that are not in the “good books” of management.
Whilst the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) has petitioned Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and has held series of meetings over these seemingly draconian decisions of the University’s Management, and
now awaiting a final determination to be made on the matter by the Regulator of Public Universities in Ghana, the practice of such regrettably, unjustifiable and unfortunate decisions still linger on. It was our candid opinion that, if not for the purposes of creating a psychological warfare against the
Senior Staff and to further demotivate us from putting up our best in the development of quality Tertiary Education in Ghana, why will a serving staff be required to write an examination instead of the normal interview proceedings to determine his/her suitability in matters of promotion/appointment/upgrade? When same is not applicable to those appointed fresh from outside the University’s Community?
We therefore, wish to acknowledge the relevant and meaning contributions of all stakeholders that necessitated or pushed to avert the otherwise intended strike that would have rock our Management today November 29, 2021.
It is our sincere belief that this fight for justice, fairness and equity and the various agreement reached with our management, will inure in the scheme of things of Public Universities management principles, applications and practices that has clearly. ensure the needed velocity to motivate the Senior Staff Cadre to increase its working capacity to ensure sustainable quality Tertiary Education in Ghana.
Thank you all for coming, and may God bless us all, and make our Home-Ghana, Great and Strong forever and ever more
(National Chairman, SSA-UoG),
Story by: Yakubu Alhassan | www.diamondfmonline.com
