The National Labor Commission (NLC) has directed the University of Cape Coast (UCC) branch of the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSAUoG) to call off its strike within five days.
If striking leadership does not end the strike as instructed, the Commission claims it cannot handle the Association's complaints.
This came after the Commission conducted a meeting on Wednesday, April 19, between senior staff leadership and management.
Senior UCC staff have been pressing for the payment of agreed-upon allowances and member promotions.
On Thursday, April 13, they called a strike and have continued to be absent from work, which has an impact on college students.
“The Commission has directed them to call off the strike to enable the Commission hear the matter, so the matter has been adjourned for one week because by law negotiations cannot go on while you are on strike,” said Executive Secretary of NLC Ofosu Asamoah.
He told the media that a meeting to continue the arbitration had been arranged for Wednesday, April 26, but not after the strike had already been called off.
The UCC chapter of the SSAUoG's national president, Zakari Mohammed, acknowledged receiving a letter from the NLC urging it not to go on strike, but stated it was left with no choice because management had also failed to address the issues. “Both of us flouted because the UCC management was earlier on directed to engage the senior staff [and] they flouted first,” he said.
“They also violated the directive of the [National] Labour Commission.”
Sandy Kumi Sinatra, the UCC Chairman of the SSAUoG, defended the strike action and said that it was announced prior to the receipt of the NLC's request to stop action.
“We did notify the NLC,” he said.
“The NLC had earlier directed that management should engage us [but] management flouted this and we reported to NLC and added that subsequent to management’s refusal to engage us, we gave them a date after which when it elapses we embark on the strike and that date expired and we declared the strike lawfully.”
He said the decision to call off the strike remains in the bosom of the National Executive Council (NEC) and not on him as an individual.
