We won’t call off strike until our demands met – SSA-UoG

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), has resolved to stick to their decision to embark on a strike.

SSA-UoG is agitated over the non-payment of tier-2 pension arrears, market premium and non-basic allowance as well as the migration of public universities to the Controller and Accountant General Payroll system.

The failure by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to engage them on their conditions of service is another concern.

A statement issued and signed by the National Chairman of SSA-UoG, Zakaria Mohammed, after an emergency NEC meeting on Wednesday, 26 May 2021, outlined the decisions which led to the sustained strike action.

The decisions are as follows:

1. The empty platitudes and false promises made by Government in the past in matters concerning the resolution of our demands have reached intolerable limits, thereby making it highly impossible for the Strike to be called off.

2. The strike is hereby sustained until promises and commitments made by Government in the resolution of our protracted demands pave way for action to be expedited.

3. Government must quickly calculate and pay to our fund managers the interest on the Tier 2 Pension contribution arrears using the actuarial method for each successive year at Treasury Bill Rates on accrued contributions spanning from 2010-2021 as published on the website of the Bank of Ghana (January:2010- 19.69%,2011- 12.60%, 2012- 11.40%, 2013- 22.90%,2014- 17.00%, 2015- 22.50%, 2016- 23.00%, 2017- 19.50%, 2018- 15.00%, 2019- 17.38%, 2020- 15-15% and 2021-14.50%)

4. Government must announce a financial package to the Senior Staff Cadre of Public Universities, pending the outcome of deliberations on the non-basic allowance, to alleviate the unacceptable deteriorating working conditions we find ourselves in.

5. NEC is unimpressed with government’s sixty (60) days period placed on the resolution of our concerns.