UTAG threatens to strike over unpaid Book and Research Allowance

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has vowed to strike if the government does not address their complaints about the payment of the Book and Research Allowance (BRA).

This was said in a statement issued on Monday, October 16, 2023.

The Book and Research Allowance, which is a vital component of their terms of employment, must be paid on time, according to UTAG.

The organisation expressed disappointment that the Book and Research Allowance for the recently finished 2022/2023 academic year had been postponed.

It has so urged the government to ensure that all of its members receive their Book and Research Allowance payments by October 21st, 2023, or they would go on strike.

The statement further stated that UTAG members would not return to the classroom in January 2024 if the government did not pay the stipulated ex-pump rate, as well as all accrued arrears, by the 1st of November 2023, as agreed.

“UTAG clarifies that the implementation of the National Research Fund should not replace the infamous Book and Research Allowance (BRA), which is a critical component of the conditions of service of the Members of UTAG, which has been delayed unduly for the already completed 2022/2023 Academic year as many Lecturers in public universities are yet to receive this reimbursable expenditure. This is creating tension on our campus.”

“We are urging the Government to ensure that all UTAG Members receive their Book and Research Allowance by the 21st of October to avoid disrupting industrial harmony,” UTAG stated.