The National Labour Commission (NLC) has directed the University of Cape Coast (UCC) branch of the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSAUoG) to call off its strike within five days.
The Commission says it cannot address the Association’s grievances if leadership does not call off the strike as directed.
This followed a meeting hosted by the Commission between management and the leadership of the senior staff on Wednesday, April 19.
The senior staff of UCC have been demanding payment of negotiated allowances and promotions for members.
They declared strike on Thursday, April 13 and have since stayed out of work, affecting students on campus.
“The Commission has directed them to call off the strike to enable the Commission hear the matter, so the matter has been adjourned for one week because by law negotiations cannot go on while you are on strike,” said Executive Secretary of NLC Ofosu Asamoah.
He told TV3‘s Daniel Opoku that a meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 26 to continue the arbitration but not after the strike has been called off before then.
National President of SSAUoG Zakari Mohammed admitted that its UCC branch received a letter from NLC not to proceed on strike but it had no option as management also failed to address the grievances.
“Both of us flouted because the UCC management was earlier on directed to engage the senior staff [and] they flouted first,” he said.
“They also violated the directive of the [National] Labour Commission.”
The UCC Chairman of SSAUoG, Sandy Kumi Sinatra, justified the strike action and said it was declared before NLC’s letter to stay action came in.
“We did notify the NLC,” he said.
“The NLC had earlier directed that management should engage us [but] management flouted this and we reported to NLC and added that subsequent to management’s refusal to engage us, we gave them a date after which when it elapses we embark on the strike and that date expired and we declared the strike lawfully.”
He said the decision to call off the strike remains in the bosom of the National Executive Council (NEC) and not on him as an individual.