TEWU–GH threatens to resist KNUST Council meeting over disputed representation

The leadership of the Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU-GH) has threatened to disallow any disputed candidate from representing its members at a council meeting of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology slated for Thursday 19th December 2024.

The Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana continues to haggle with the management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology over council representation after it broke away from the Teachers and Education Workers Union of the Trade Union Congress (TEWU–TUC in June 2022).

To ensure harmony and transparency, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has intervened to settle the TASSLE OVER which of the unions bears legitimacy to be given a slot on the University Council.

Addressing a news conference on the KNUST Campus; Union leaders of TEWU-GH expressed worry they had spotted a brochure depicting a TEWU–TUC rep Michael Ayuune as a council rep and vowed to follow up to ensure the right thing is done.

“When we got information that the university council has invited someone who is said to be representing some people, we reported the issue to GTEC which directed management of KNUST to stay any action until the matter is fully resolved. We believe the flouting of the directive of GTEC is gross disrespect because at what point will your regulator give you instruction and then you violate it without recourse to their letter?" Sulemana questioned.

The National Chairman of TEWU GH Sulemana Abdul Rahman wondered why management of the KNUST would refuse to recognize a group which has the overwhelming backing of some 1000 members on campus but will choose to work with a union which struggles to produce 20 members left in its ranks.

“The reality is that the person they have invited to the council is representing just about 20 individuals and TEWU Ghana is representing over a thousand people IN KNUST campus. The union is about numbers and not just the name,

“If it were not that we were law-abiding people, a lot of things would have happened because you are denying a thousand people representation and allowing a leader of some 25 people to represent the thousand,” he cautioned.

Charging members who had gathered at the KNUST commercial area, he announced that the rank and file of TEWU-GH would follow the council even if management of KNUST chose to hold Thursday’s Council meeting outside the country, to do the right thing.

The union among other things is demanding that the Vice Chancellor and management of KNUST "immediately remove Michael Ayuune’s name from the university’s brochure, which lists KNUST Council Members.”

They are also requesting the management of KNUST; to sign a ‘Letter of Compliance stating that, until GTEC determines the matter. no union (ie. TEWU-TUC or TEWU-GH) will be allowed to attend any council meeting.

The union expressed hope that their demands would be heeded as they warned that failure to offer such assurances could create avoidable conflicts and disturbances on campus.