The Technical University Senior Administrators’ Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) has declared its intention to embark on strike with effect from Monday, January 8.
TUSAAG said the industrial action is to press home the need for Managements of Technical Universities in the country to comply with provisions of their approved conditions of service in respect of roll-over of retirement date for members.
“On the basis of these lethal violations, and having satisfied the conditions espoused in Section 159 (b) of the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651), the NEC of TUSAAG hereby declares a nationwide strike effective Monday 8th January 2024, in demand for full compliance with the conditions of the roll-over of the retirement date, as outlined in the referred portions of the Conditions of Service,” a press release signed by the National President of TUSAAG, Joseph Mensah Oti-Asirifi stated.
The press release dated January 1 added that, “The strike action shall mean the outright cessation of all administrative and professional services (including all services for both fresh and continuing students), withdrawal of services at all Units, Sections, Departments, Faculties, Centres, Directorates, Halls of Residence, Finance, ICT Services, physical development, facilities maintenance services, as well as all other main and general services (at the offices of the Vice-Chancellor, the Pro Vice-Chancellor the Registrar etc.).”
TUSAAG noted that “The strike action shall be in full force until the conditions of the roll-over of the retirement date, as outlined in the Conditions of Service, are wholly implemented by the Management of all Technical Universities, and same, fully applied to affected staff of the Cape Coast Technical University and elsewhere.”
“By this correspondence, all members of the Association are to take note, and act accordingly,” TUSAAG directed.
Provisions for the retirement of staff of Technical Universities laid in Article 14(b) and Article 34 of the Conditions of Service (CoS), make room for retirement roll-over conditions for eligible staff of the University.
The above referenced Articles state as follows:
Article 14(b): “A Senior Member shall normally retire from the service of the Technical University at the end of the academic year in which he attains the compulsory retiring age, currently sixty (60).”
Article 34: “An employee of the University shall retire from the service of the University at the end of the academic year in which he attains the prescribed retiring age.”
TUSAAG said “NEC takes serious view of the non-compliance with, and the manipulation of this provision, and respectfully reminds the Management of Technical Universities that the conditions laid in Article 14(b) and Article 34 (supra) are not subject to the dictates or the discretion of any individual or any constituted body, neither shall they be altered, varied or amended without due process, or in a manner that makes the employee worse off.”
It noted that, “Despite the clarity provided in all our earlier communication, the Management of Cape Coast Technical University (CCTU), Sunyani Technical University (STU), Accra Technical University (ATU) and Koforidua Technical University (KTU) have failed to comply fully with the roll-over of the retirement date to the end of the academic year.
At the CCTU for instance, the 2023/2024 Academic Calendar starts on Monday, October 16, 2023 and ends on Friday, June, 07, 2024. The three affected staff (names provided to the Management of CCTU), all of whom are TUSAAG members, attained the age of Sixty (60) (the retiring age) between October 18, 2023 and December 16, 2023. Thus, the academic year in which the affected staff attained age Sixty (60) is the 2023/2024 Academic Year of the CCTU.
By the provisions laid in both Article 14(b) and Article 34, and in accordance with the 2023/2024 Academic Calendar of CCTU, the affected staff should therefore retire at the end of the 2023/2024 Academic year, which is June 7, 2024.”