UTAG threatens strike over unpaid book, research allowance

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has said it will advise its members against performing their core duties if the government fails to pay their Book and Research Allowance (BRA) by Monday, September 14, 2020.

This follows what the association describes as the “countless attempts” to see the authorities in charge of the payment of the BRA for the just-ended academic year.

In a statement issued on Friday, September 11, 2020 and signed by its President, Prof Charles Marfo and its Secretary, Dr Eric K K Abavare, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of UTAG said: “It has observed with concern that the Book and Research Allowance (BRA) for its members for the last academic year (i.e. 2019/2020 academic year) has not been paid as of today, 11th of September 2020.”

The association noted that “despite the fact that all the necessary and needed documentation to facilitate the payment of BRA has been presented to the appropriate institutions of the government and the fact that we have been told time and again that payment has been made through the GIFMIS system, no member of UTAG has received these allowances.”

It continued: “Countless attempts to see the powers that be in government to see to it that the last academic year’s BRA is paid to its members continue to bear no fruits.”

According to the association, consequent to all the efforts it made, which have resulted in nothing beneficial to its members, it is serving notice to the government that it “will advise its members to cease seeing to any of their functions from Monday, September 14, 2020, if by the close of day of this set date, we have still not been paid the allowances.”

UTAG also pleaded with “the public and stakeholders that should the next academic year’s calendar, which has already seen some distraction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, be further derailed, it should not be blamed, but the government’s actions and inactions in its dealing with the association on the subject matter” should be held accountable.