CULUE, TEWU threaten strike over exclusion from KNUST Governing Council

The Coalition Of University Local Union Executives (CULUE) are threatening a nationwide solidarity strike in all public universities over the exclusion of the Tertiary Education Workers Union (TEWU) from the governing council of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

The union is angered government has denied a rep nominated by TEWU Charles Attah his place on council on grounds that Mr Attah’s candidature in a local election is being contested.

Joining national executives of the TEWU at the KNUST campus, CULUE argued government is sidestepping the constitution of TEWU and should be ready for consequences.

Reading out the petition, the Acting Chair of CULUE Naa Gumah Zachariah insisted that Local Union Executives in all public universities stand by the nominee appointed by TEWU to represent their interest on council.

He contended that the decision to stand down Charles Attah’s swearing-in because of a court injunction on his candidature in TEWU elections is flawed.

“It is not about chairmancy. It is about membership representation and anybody can be chosen and for now KNUST local has chosen Charles Attah to represent the local at the governing council and that cannot be scrapped.”

He mentioned that even though the group was looking forward to favourable answers, “We will not hesitate to hold a solidarity strike and that is where you have to have other universities to solidarize with the feuding university to make sure they get justice”

The Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, Professor Obiri Danso who received the petition called for calm among the aggrieved union members and their executives.

He assured that the concerns will be escalated to the highest authority to get their demands met.

The delivery of the petition saw in attendance TEWU executives from all public universities who were there to append their signatures to the petition and to also take part in a discussion of TEWU’s Conditions of Service which has not seen any significant amendment in the past 11 years.

This will not be the first time the unions have converged at the administration of the KNUST to demand inclusion for the Teachers and Education Workers Union who form the largest group of workers on university campuses.