Government must larn how to govern that is exactly what you are telling them. Go through the right way. Looks like NDC does not know how to govern only how to win elections. Pray the read your thought and learn from it.
Government must larn how to govern that is exactly what you are telling them. Go through the right way. Looks like NDC does not know how to govern only how to win elections. Pray the read your thought and learn from it.
C.Y. ANDY-K 9 years ago
I think those reading Dr Bokor's piece should read it in conjunction with my piece below. I believe the suggested courses of action are what is needed to redress this current dispute.
Those allowances were flawed from the ... read full comment
I think those reading Dr Bokor's piece should read it in conjunction with my piece below. I believe the suggested courses of action are what is needed to redress this current dispute.
Those allowances were flawed from the very beginning. No serious research and research environment can be fostered with them. As a matter of fact, they are counter-productive to the very objectives they were instituted for. I shall deepen this later.
Andy-K
THE BOOK AND RESEARCH ALLOWANCES BROUHAHA
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) are currently embroiled in a dispute with government over the cancellation of book and research allowances to lecturers in the tertiary institutions of Ghana. Threatened strike actions have just been suspended pending the outcome of negotiations between the parties to the dispute. I urge government not to buckle to these threats and dastardly blackmail.
Some of us were horrified when we read of the institution of these book and research allowances in the tertiary institutions in the mid-1990s by the NDC Rawlings regime. I wrote against it on the Okyeame forum and received a lot of support from forumers, many of them lecturers in tertiary institutions in the West. A couple of professors from the universities in Ghana on sabbaticals in the US sent me private mails agreeing with me and disagreeing with the new order that was just announced. I was myself then, besides a graduate student and teaching assistant in the University of Bergen, a research assistant at Christian Michelsen Institute (CMI), the largest development and human rights research institute in Scandinavia. A rich country like Norway would not dream of such insane dole outs of public money to lecturers.
I would like to reiterate my objection to what is a gross aberration in the development process designed to just cushion the take home pay of lecturers rather than boost any serious book acquisition, teaching and research efforts, and therefore back the cancellation of the gross anomaly. I would also like to suggest some rational measures to replace the existing wasteful practice, a cynical joke which tax payers must not be burdened with any longer, having just recently been spared some “by force” road toll in Legon.
Those who support the present egregious practice are free to supply to us its evaluation, giving us the number of publications - peer reviewed or not - which each of the recipients have authored over the years and how well they have improved their teaching practices.
It is a fact that our tertiary institutions lack publications to support any meaningful research and teaching, as a visit to any of their main libraries, such as Balme Library in Legon, will show. But the solution is not a privatisation of measures to acquire such publications. The first step in resolving the problem is stocking their libraries, both main and departmental ones, with the latest publications: newspapers, magazines, journals, books, audio visuals, micro films, data bases, etc. Yes, stocking the libraries shall be the main focus.
In conjunction with the above, the book shops on the campuses must be regularly stocked with same publications. In view of this, the university publishing presses must be revamped to secure the rights to publish certain books locally, instead of the present practice of even publishing books for primary schools abroad! It is simply gross!
As it would not be financially and logistically feasible to buy and stock all publications, there must be a selection process to acquire relevant ones only. There are some standard, mainstream publications – books, journals, magazines and newspapers - which it’d be a matter of course to acquire. Books that form part of the curricula, which curricula must be reviewed regularly to include new publications, would be acquired routinely. New books, however, require some element of discretion and lecturers within departments may collectively deliberate upon which to acquire for their institutes, and eventually add to the reading list.
Publishers regularly send catalogues of upcoming publications to educational and research institutions and libraries. Steps must be taken to get such catalogues from both local and foreign publishers. As the practice was in CMI - and I believe still is - the catalogues are passed round from the library to the researchers upstairs to mark any of the publications they want to be acquired for the library, or their own use. If you want a personal copy to keep, one is acquired for you and you pay for it from your own pocket, benefiting from the hefty subsidy the publishers give to the library. If you do not want a copy, you use the one acquired for the library and return it after using it. I availed myself of the opportunity to acquire a couple of books for myself at knocked down prices, one of them not even related directly to my studies, Africa Ark by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher, which provided me with great insight about the peoples of the Horn of Africa, their past and the development challenges we Africans face.
RESEARCH FUNDS
There is need for a three-tiered source of publicly funded funds to lecturers and researchers who want to carry out research requiring funding – the departmental, the university/polytechnic level and the national level.
Funds must be provided to each department to fund some minimum level of research in their fields of specialisation, which fund lecturers shall compete for, or just be granted some funding from for minor expenses linked to their field works, for example. That way, they can build up their research capabilities and capacities to world class levels, capable of attracting independently/privately funded researches and consultancies. We can expect those in the physical and engineering sciences to come out with innovative findings and discoveries which can be commercialised.
There must be a bigger research fund at the university/polytechnic level available to all departments and institutes. Each year, a certain number of researches must be funded on specific areas of interest that contribute to knowledge and the development of Ghana and Africa in general. Lecturers apply to such a fund in competition with each other by presenting research proposals and budget. Not even in the recognised Ivy League institutions of the West are all lecturers undertaking research from one year to another necessitating funding them. After all, there are specialised research institutes with full time researchers undertaking research into vital issues for their states. What about Ghana?
The government must maintain a national fund for research into areas of concern to the government and the public. In view of this, the government shall specify the area it wants to be researched and invites researchers to present research proposals and budget to carry them out. A panel of scholars running the fund shall determine the winner/s. This suggestion is nothing novel but simply what pertains in the civilised nations. The Federal Government of the USA is thus the largest source of research funding in the US, for example.
In spite of the fact that Ken Kuranchie came out from prison, realised that Ghanaians are not civilised and blurted it out just like that, it does not mean that we cannot begin to emulate some of the civilised ways of the people acclaimed to be civilised, if we intend to get out of the ditch into which some have run the state of Ghana since the demise of Kwame Nkrumah. Or, should I say, since the grandfathers and great grand uncles of some of us handed over the affairs of the Gold Coast to the wannabe leaders of the new nation tagged Ghana?
Besides these suggestions, the tertiary institutions must be proactive in seeking private individuals and corporate bodies to set up foundations and legacies to support research within respective departments.
Andy C. Y. Kwawukume
cyandyk@ymail.com
Akwasi 9 years ago
Andy, You are back with this piece again. Just as I told you last week, removing BRA will not automatically translate into say stocking libraries for example. The BRA money will vanish and the National Fund will be cancelled ... read full comment
Andy, You are back with this piece again. Just as I told you last week, removing BRA will not automatically translate into say stocking libraries for example. The BRA money will vanish and the National Fund will be cancelled or stopped after at most two years. That is the problem hence the impasse. A good example - A percentage of monthly salaries are taken for National Health Insurance, A percentage of VAT is supposed to be put aside for National Health insurance. Despite the money withdrawals, the National Health Insurance is totally broke. What happened to the money, definitely in someones pocket. That is the reality that you do not want to accept. Therefore UTAG and POTAG are not willing to give up the BRA for it to find its way into someone's pocket.
C.Y. ANDY-K 9 years ago
Akwasi, I told you before that your arguments in support of maintaining the BRA are fallacious and thus fatuous. I intend to deal with that in a full article but briefly, in logic, even the fact that the sun rises from the ea ... read full comment
Akwasi, I told you before that your arguments in support of maintaining the BRA are fallacious and thus fatuous. I intend to deal with that in a full article but briefly, in logic, even the fact that the sun rises from the east the last billion years doesn't mean that it'd rise from the east tomorrow. It is just a probability. So, we are only seeing some stars which had exploded light years ago and were no longer in existence as at now.
In law, this logic is recognised by the previous crimes of an accused not being tendered in evidence in a new case against the person and the jury is prevented from knowing them. In short, you can't use the previous actions of govt to justify your demand for BRA. I can also mention a whole host of things govt is fulfilling its bargain. E.g., paying your salaries and even the $7m per annum for the scurrilous BRA from 1995 to date! I objected when it was instituted and I am doing so now!
Anyway, can you also accept that the govt is broke and so cannot continue to pay the farcical BRA and then fund a National Research Fund to boot and implement other sound policies to replace the dysfunctional system as I enumerated in my article, such as stocking the libraries, IT-based information systems (it is the future since books are being digitalised), giving monies to institutions to do internal research, etc., etc.
Your claim that the money might end up in somebody's pocket is silly.
Finally, let all and sundry know that the objective of the BRA is NOT to TOP UP the salaries of lecturers. If it has become that and that's the rational for keeping it, as being argued by some, e.g., Dr SAS - which indeed is the truth - then I am afraid, we have sunk to the basest level of thinking if we accept that as a rational reason to retain it.
Andy-K
Akwasi 9 years ago
So what exactly is your point.
My points are (i) lack of planning to implement the policy
(ii)no evidence of sustainability so it is just a tactic to cancel the BRA
(iii) believe me, the money ending somewhere is rea ... read full comment
So what exactly is your point.
My points are (i) lack of planning to implement the policy
(ii)no evidence of sustainability so it is just a tactic to cancel the BRA
(iii) believe me, the money ending somewhere is real
Do you think we are ready to start the fund in the 2014/2015 academic year and do you think it will be sustainable
Asiwome 9 years ago
These workers on strike were motivated by a feeling of entitlement. I bet these very workers were up in arms when Woyome felt entitled to the money he received.
These workers on strike were motivated by a feeling of entitlement. I bet these very workers were up in arms when Woyome felt entitled to the money he received.
Michael J.K. Bokor, Ph.D. 9 years ago
You've laid it bare, and I salute you for your candid opinions.
Those supporting the POTAG/UTAG stance on the research and book allowance demand are doing so just for political purposes.
In reality (and as you rightly p ... read full comment
You've laid it bare, and I salute you for your candid opinions.
Those supporting the POTAG/UTAG stance on the research and book allowance demand are doing so just for political purposes.
In reality (and as you rightly pointed out, ANDY-K), this concession has outlived its usefulness and should be abolished as a matter of course. The setting up of the National Research Fund is appropriate, even though I have serious reservations against it in terms of the government's failure to put in place the appropriate structures to enable it to take off immediately. There seems to be much suspicion that the government is merely seeking to abolish this book and research allowance and not supplant it with anything better. I know that critics will refer to several failed initiatives by the government and use those instances to reinforce their fears. Right they may be!!
I remember very well that in the 1990s when this book and research allowance was being paid, a lecturer friend of mine confided in me that it was God-sent because it helped them top up their earnings to keep aflot. The long and short of it was that this allowance was (and still is) nothing but a salary adjustment---an additional source of income!!
Taking it away means cutting down on the earnings of the beneficiaries. That is why they are vehemently protesting, not because it will shackle them and stall their efforts at "professional development" or buying material with which to improve scholarship and teaching. Let the beneficiaries prove me wrong.
Once again, thanks, ANDY-K for your take on the issue, which resounds loudly as a positive contribution to the debate.
ADJOA WANGARA 9 years ago
TWO USELSEE EWE IDIOT, ANDY-K AND BOKOR KISSING THEMSELVES.
TWO USELSEE EWE IDIOT, ANDY-K AND BOKOR KISSING THEMSELVES.
C.Y. ANDY-K 9 years ago
???@%??!
???@%??!
C.Y. ANDY-K 9 years ago
Doc,
Thanks for your appreciation. I am actually working on a series to tackle the intellectual bankruptcy and chicanery that underpin this strike action. The farcical mentality that it is part of our terms of employment a ... read full comment
Doc,
Thanks for your appreciation. I am actually working on a series to tackle the intellectual bankruptcy and chicanery that underpin this strike action. The farcical mentality that it is part of our terms of employment and it is not govt's business to abolish it simply stinks.
Yes, the Mahama regime has failed to follow appropriate democratic procedures involving consultation and negotiation with the parties touched in its decision process but this can be redressed. And I don't find the National Research Fund as even adequate. But, I blame the so-called intellectuals and academics for not coming out with the new ideas to reform the decayed and dysfunctional system.
Andy-K
Yaw Ben 9 years ago
Is the government paying these people to be writing this rubbish or they are now lobbying for posts? These are the type of intellectuals that Ghana has that’s why the country continues to sink. If Bokor, Andy-K and co envy ... read full comment
Is the government paying these people to be writing this rubbish or they are now lobbying for posts? These are the type of intellectuals that Ghana has that’s why the country continues to sink. If Bokor, Andy-K and co envy lecturers because they are enjoying research and book allowances as a "top-up for their salary" they should let the government sack the lecturers to create room for them. There are many professionals who enjoy various allowances whether they use them for the intended purposes or not. Why have they not been scrapped? These people envy lecturers yet they cannot do what lecturers do. The cat that wants to eat fish but it does want to get wet. Illiterate intellectuals, you don’t even know how to make your dishonest propaganda. Give us a break!
KBK 9 years ago
Your input doesn't display much knowledge of the demands of the lecturers and the reasons behind those demands. If you (and Bokor) had shown more intimate knowledge of these demands you could've made a better case against tho ... read full comment
Your input doesn't display much knowledge of the demands of the lecturers and the reasons behind those demands. If you (and Bokor) had shown more intimate knowledge of these demands you could've made a better case against those very demands.
I don't think the conditions you mentioned from your Bergen example are unknown to the lecturers. Many of them received their higher degrees from the same foreign institutions you are using as examples.
Bokor further thinks that it is every move of government that must go through parliamentary debate, be voted upon and made into law for it to make sense or for it to be democratic.
None of you even seems to know how the government decision came to be made, what inputs these very lecturers opposing it made to it or whether the decision was arrived at without their participation.
These are the things that will inform a meaningful discussion of the issue.
Akwasi 9 years ago
It will interest you to know that UTAG initially proposed the National Research fund. No UTAG member is against it and I am sure POTAG is also not against it. You said is nicely - it is not something that is implemented overn ... read full comment
It will interest you to know that UTAG initially proposed the National Research fund. No UTAG member is against it and I am sure POTAG is also not against it. You said is nicely - it is not something that is implemented overnight. It is a complex thought out process involving all stake holders, backed by policy. Read my feature article "The Bogus National Research Fund" on Ghanaweb - Friday August 8th 2014. It will also surprise you that most Lecturers actually use their own money and the BRA for (i) teaching i.e. purchasing of new books and subscribing to journal articles, (ii) researching - to sponsor research projects, (iii) to buy laptops, printers, cartridges, stationery etc. In most places where research funds work well, money for these purchases come from grants received not from individual pockets. To proof research going on in Ghana, check ghanabiomedicalconvention.org for abstracts submitted or attend one of the conferences to see how much Ghanaians are pursuing research. Without any clear cut policies, regulations and sustainability of the National Research Fund, UTAG and POTAG members cannot just say yes because the government says so. Lastly, no where in developed countries does one lecturer has 600 students to assess continuously in a semester.
kofikofi 9 years ago
This is a marvelous piece of article. Prolong agitations by the labor force is a drain on the economy. I will not rule out the devil hands of npp in all these strikes. Time is up to pass laws that will minimize labor unrest t ... read full comment
This is a marvelous piece of article. Prolong agitations by the labor force is a drain on the economy. I will not rule out the devil hands of npp in all these strikes. Time is up to pass laws that will minimize labor unrest that affecting production and services.
kofikofi 9 years ago
The law if tightened will go a long way to minimize the labor unrest in Ghana. But also,I will not rule out the devil hands of npp trying to influence on the strikes.
The law if tightened will go a long way to minimize the labor unrest in Ghana. But also,I will not rule out the devil hands of npp trying to influence on the strikes.
Michael J.K. Bokor, Ph.D. 9 years ago
Of course, the agitations have a huge dose of partisan politics in them, apparently because some of those leading these unions are known supporters of political parties, especially the POTAG President who has since 1992 been ... read full comment
Of course, the agitations have a huge dose of partisan politics in them, apparently because some of those leading these unions are known supporters of political parties, especially the POTAG President who has since 1992 been a known NPP buff.
The truth, however, is that regardless of what happens, it is the national coffers that is at issue. Those thinking that if they use their political clout within these pressure/interest groups to foment trouble they will be creating fertile grounds for the Mahama-led administration to lose traction may be biting off more than they and their faceless manipulators can chew. What happens if this government loses Election 2016? Will the incoming one be able to meet their demands in a "dead" economy? Those piling up problems today for political purposes will not, after all, be doing anything good to help their pay-masters survive in Ghanaian politics.
kofikofi 9 years ago
The government cannot afford rounds of strikes that will act as a destabilization to the already ailing economy. What the the Mahama administration is not doing is fighting corruption in his government and in pubic service. ... read full comment
The government cannot afford rounds of strikes that will act as a destabilization to the already ailing economy. What the the Mahama administration is not doing is fighting corruption in his government and in pubic service. The unions are looking for more raise because his government has not lived up to expectation. Despite urban pockets of impoverishment, high levels of unemployment, and low wages, Ghanaians are a resilient and proud people, taking the future in their own hands. Mahama has the responsibility to better the lives of all. He must revisit the Single Spine trap Kuffour laid down for Atta Mills. It was a bad policy and an expensive one as such.
Captain Canada 9 years ago
They don't care about the damage they are doing to the country. Win at all cost. That is their game. But they'll soon learn that once you've released that genie you cannot put it back. They think an ungovernable state is only ... read full comment
They don't care about the damage they are doing to the country. Win at all cost. That is their game. But they'll soon learn that once you've released that genie you cannot put it back. They think an ungovernable state is only the headache of NDC. They'll soon find out.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
You have to conceive of the whole debate in terms of the universal principle of labor-employer relations: if you vary the conditions of service of workers to their disadvantage, they will violently react to protect their inte ... read full comment
You have to conceive of the whole debate in terms of the universal principle of labor-employer relations: if you vary the conditions of service of workers to their disadvantage, they will violently react to protect their interest. Viewed in this context, it does not help to analyze the use to which the research allowance is put. The issue has to be seen from the standpoint that the lecturers' income has been reduced. And the unrest we are seeing is the result of the derogation of their earnings at a time when the various branches of government are enhancing theirs.
And if your posture is to scrutinize whether they deserve their earning, you must apply the same standard to other workers in the country. And if you do that, you will see that everybody else, not only lecturers, should have their income cut for not working hard enough to earn same.
The result of targeting lecturers for reduced income while the politicians are enhancing their emolument is the strike actions we are experiencing today.
The solution is to reinstate the removed allowances if it even means that we call it Breathing Allowance!
James Ansong 9 years ago
The nub of all that your contribution offers is implied here:
"You have to conceive of the whole debate in terms of the universal principle of labor-employer relations: if you vary the conditions of service of workers to t ... read full comment
The nub of all that your contribution offers is implied here:
"You have to conceive of the whole debate in terms of the universal principle of labor-employer relations: if you vary the conditions of service of workers to their disadvantage, they will violently react to protect their interest. "
I want to be fair to you to say that you are conversant with all this brouhaha about the book and research allowance (even if you didn't enjoy it at the time that you were in active service at the UCC).
Others enjoyed it and are out today in their different capacities as retired lecturers or those with one foot close to retirement. What happens thereafter?
This book and researdh allowance is nothing but an appendage to the official, legitimate salary scope that the Ghanaian on the official salary scale knows. My brother, ask yourself what happened when you were at the UCC? If you can answer this question in truth and honesty regarding this monster of book and research allowance, you should be helping us take a progressive step forward. o further need for clarification.
Your circumstances in Texas in your engineered capacity as an Attorney-at-Law (Any reference to Chaucer?) may not be tied to what the Establishment offers but it has a lot to teach others seeking to follow in your foot steps. Remember that and speak conscientiously. You may be picking up the pieces later on when you least expect it to be so.
Bonsu 9 years ago
The truth of the matter is that the government must streamline its labour laws to comply with modern industrial action laws.it must be made clear that if you go on strike you forfeit your pay on the number of days you absent ... read full comment
The truth of the matter is that the government must streamline its labour laws to comply with modern industrial action laws.it must be made clear that if you go on strike you forfeit your pay on the number of days you absent yourself.Not only that if you take industrial action, your employer have the right to reduce your length of service with them by the number of days you were on strike. This is important when working out your pension and things like statutory redundancy pay.
Before people attribute this to Stalin laws let it be made clear that these are some of the labour laws governing industrial action in the UK.
The argument of POTAG and UTAG for engaging in industrial action is that they need the research allowance for research and books to enhance the quality of academic work. Again this calls for the public universities in Ghana to be brought to modern academic standards in terms of research inputs.Up to date and recognized research universities all over the world rely on A-Z Data bases and electronic resource provided by the university Libraries which can be assessed from home.
Unless you require a quantitative research methodology in contrast to qualitative these electronic libraries must provide all lecturers with their research materials.They don't need special allowance for research but those that will need funds must source it from the research fund.
Akadu Mensema 9 years ago
"In the case of POTAG and UTAG, the issue is simple: the government says it has abolished the book and research allowances paid to individual POTAG/UTAG members and replaced it with a National Research Fund whose administrati ... read full comment
"In the case of POTAG and UTAG, the issue is simple: the government says it has abolished the book and research allowances paid to individual POTAG/UTAG members and replaced it with a National Research Fund whose administration will instill discipline, rigour, and accountability into the allocation of public funds. The government has a good reason for introducing this new measure to centralize the administration of the funds and ensure that there is value-for-money. In other words, the change means that prospective beneficiaries have to provide evidence to prove that they have any research agenda and how that agenda will be prosecuted to the benefit of the country."
KBK 9 years ago
If it is cryptic, people will think it is full of hidden wisdom and the commentator is such a clever lad. But if you turn it round and round you'll see that it is as vacuous as the statement it is criticizing.
At any rate ... read full comment
If it is cryptic, people will think it is full of hidden wisdom and the commentator is such a clever lad. But if you turn it round and round you'll see that it is as vacuous as the statement it is criticizing.
At any rate, Akadu's comments often depend on the writer of the article rather than the argument being made. To this regard, people like Borkor, Andy-K, never draw a positive comment from Akadu. Okoampa's saving grace in Akadu's book is that he (Okoampa) is such a rabid supporter of NPP (or rather Akufo-Addo).
Bonsu 9 years ago
Good comments!
Good comments!
Yaw Ben 9 years ago
Is the government paying these people to be writing this rubbish or they are now lobbying for posts? These are the type of intellectuals that Ghana has that’s why the country continues to sink. If Bokor and Andy envy lectur ... read full comment
Is the government paying these people to be writing this rubbish or they are now lobbying for posts? These are the type of intellectuals that Ghana has that’s why the country continues to sink. If Bokor and Andy envy lecturers because they are enjoying research and book allowances as a top-up for their salary they should let the government sack the lecturers to create room for them. There are many professionals who enjoy various allowances whether they use them for the intended purposes or not. Why have they not been scrapped? These people envy lecturers yet they can do what lecturers do. The cat that wants to eat fish but it does want to get wet. Illiterate intellectuals, you don’t even know how to make your dishonest propaganda. Give us a break!
joe 9 years ago
you are an imbecile of the highest order what research have you conducted to conclude that no lecturer has used the allowance for professional development remember lecturers are promoted based on their research. be informed a ... read full comment
you are an imbecile of the highest order what research have you conducted to conclude that no lecturer has used the allowance for professional development remember lecturers are promoted based on their research. be informed and stop ur parochial analysis which lacks any substance.
Government must larn how to govern that is exactly what you are telling them. Go through the right way. Looks like NDC does not know how to govern only how to win elections. Pray the read your thought and learn from it.
I think those reading Dr Bokor's piece should read it in conjunction with my piece below. I believe the suggested courses of action are what is needed to redress this current dispute.
Those allowances were flawed from the ...
read full comment
Andy, You are back with this piece again. Just as I told you last week, removing BRA will not automatically translate into say stocking libraries for example. The BRA money will vanish and the National Fund will be cancelled ...
read full comment
Akwasi, I told you before that your arguments in support of maintaining the BRA are fallacious and thus fatuous. I intend to deal with that in a full article but briefly, in logic, even the fact that the sun rises from the ea ...
read full comment
So what exactly is your point.
My points are (i) lack of planning to implement the policy
(ii)no evidence of sustainability so it is just a tactic to cancel the BRA
(iii) believe me, the money ending somewhere is rea ...
read full comment
These workers on strike were motivated by a feeling of entitlement. I bet these very workers were up in arms when Woyome felt entitled to the money he received.
You've laid it bare, and I salute you for your candid opinions.
Those supporting the POTAG/UTAG stance on the research and book allowance demand are doing so just for political purposes.
In reality (and as you rightly p ...
read full comment
TWO USELSEE EWE IDIOT, ANDY-K AND BOKOR KISSING THEMSELVES.
???@%??!
Doc,
Thanks for your appreciation. I am actually working on a series to tackle the intellectual bankruptcy and chicanery that underpin this strike action. The farcical mentality that it is part of our terms of employment a ...
read full comment
Is the government paying these people to be writing this rubbish or they are now lobbying for posts? These are the type of intellectuals that Ghana has that’s why the country continues to sink. If Bokor, Andy-K and co envy ...
read full comment
Your input doesn't display much knowledge of the demands of the lecturers and the reasons behind those demands. If you (and Bokor) had shown more intimate knowledge of these demands you could've made a better case against tho ...
read full comment
It will interest you to know that UTAG initially proposed the National Research fund. No UTAG member is against it and I am sure POTAG is also not against it. You said is nicely - it is not something that is implemented overn ...
read full comment
This is a marvelous piece of article. Prolong agitations by the labor force is a drain on the economy. I will not rule out the devil hands of npp in all these strikes. Time is up to pass laws that will minimize labor unrest t ...
read full comment
The law if tightened will go a long way to minimize the labor unrest in Ghana. But also,I will not rule out the devil hands of npp trying to influence on the strikes.
Of course, the agitations have a huge dose of partisan politics in them, apparently because some of those leading these unions are known supporters of political parties, especially the POTAG President who has since 1992 been ...
read full comment
The government cannot afford rounds of strikes that will act as a destabilization to the already ailing economy. What the the Mahama administration is not doing is fighting corruption in his government and in pubic service. ...
read full comment
They don't care about the damage they are doing to the country. Win at all cost. That is their game. But they'll soon learn that once you've released that genie you cannot put it back. They think an ungovernable state is only ...
read full comment
You have to conceive of the whole debate in terms of the universal principle of labor-employer relations: if you vary the conditions of service of workers to their disadvantage, they will violently react to protect their inte ...
read full comment
The nub of all that your contribution offers is implied here:
"You have to conceive of the whole debate in terms of the universal principle of labor-employer relations: if you vary the conditions of service of workers to t ...
read full comment
The truth of the matter is that the government must streamline its labour laws to comply with modern industrial action laws.it must be made clear that if you go on strike you forfeit your pay on the number of days you absent ...
read full comment
"In the case of POTAG and UTAG, the issue is simple: the government says it has abolished the book and research allowances paid to individual POTAG/UTAG members and replaced it with a National Research Fund whose administrati ...
read full comment
If it is cryptic, people will think it is full of hidden wisdom and the commentator is such a clever lad. But if you turn it round and round you'll see that it is as vacuous as the statement it is criticizing.
At any rate ...
read full comment
Good comments!
Is the government paying these people to be writing this rubbish or they are now lobbying for posts? These are the type of intellectuals that Ghana has that’s why the country continues to sink. If Bokor and Andy envy lectur ...
read full comment
you are an imbecile of the highest order what research have you conducted to conclude that no lecturer has used the allowance for professional development remember lecturers are promoted based on their research. be informed a ...
read full comment