The strike was in protest of the court ruling which directed the Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), to step aside temporarily.

[contextly_sidebar id=”4Bb54sXbR3EoJhcVJqb8xLBu8D9hTKSn”]It was solidarity with some members of UTAG-UEW, who had already laid down their tools since July 2017.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of UTAG, asked the UTAG-UEW to continue with the strike action embarked upon in July 2017, and directed all members in public Universities throughout the country to withdraw their teaching services beginning Monday, September 18.

But after a closed-door meeting with Vice Chancellors Ghana (VCG), the National President of UTAG, Dr. Harry Agbanu, said the suspension of the strike was to allow the VCG a two-week period to intervene in the matter.

Speaking to the media, Dr. Agbanu said, “they [VCG] have appealed to us to suspend the action as they take some steps to resolve the issue, so we have also agreed with them, that we will suspend our action and give them time to make efforts to resolve the problem.”

“… if there is no success in terms of the restoration of the issue, then we know the next step to take so when we come out fully. You people will understand that we have done all we could to be able to resolve this issue. So the position is that, we are going back to our classrooms from tomorrow [Tuesday], pending the outcome of the steps the VCG wants to take to resolve the issue.”

Response to ineffective strike

Citi News’ checks at some of Ghana’s major public universities showed that lectures had gone on as normal, despite the call for the strike.

Citi News can confirm that many UTAG members across the country are divided over the decision to strike, particularly because the matter they are striking over is a subject that is being tackled in the court of law.

But Dr. Agbanu said today [Monday], was the first day of the strike, and “obviously, some members probably did not even hear the fact that we were going on strike.”

“Normally, strikes begin this way and gather momentum. So today being the first day, it is expected that those who didn’t know would go to the classroom,” he added.

Background to UEW litigation

A Winneba High Court in July ordered the Vice Chancellor of UEW, Professor Mawutor Avokeh, to step aside until a case brought against him and the University’s Governing Council is determined.

The order also affected the institution’s Finance Officer.

The order was made in a case brought before the court by Supi Kofi Kwayera who insisted that the Vice Chancellor and the Finance Officer were operating under the institution’s defunct governing council.

The plaintiff held that the University’s Council’s mandate had expired in November 2013, but the Education Ministry failed to constitute a new Governing Council for the university, and rather allowed and permitted the defunct Governing Council which had no mandate whatsoever to continue the functions of a properly constituted Governing Council as if same had been properly constituted.

This, Mr. Kwayera insisted was unlawful, and hence his legal action against the University of Education, Winneba.

The order from the court was described as an attack on academic freedom, hence its agitation.

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By: Caleb Kudah/Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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