The Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) has announced a total nationwide strike on Monday, September 16, 2024.

This is to express their demands for improved working conditions, after several protests and negotiations did not yield any result from government.

In a statement signed by National Chairman George Ansong on September 13, the Association expressed frustration over the government’s inability to fulfil previous agreements, highlighting several reasons.

According to them, although an earlier agreement was made, the government has not implemented new rates for vehicle maintenance and related allowances.

The statement also noted that the government has not released Tier Two deductions to Fund Managers since January 2024 and has neglected to recalculate interest on Tier Two pension funds from 2010 to 2016.

The SSA-UoG has directed all member campuses to adhere strictly to the strike directive, emphasising that the government failure to reach the agreement has caused the strike action.

The leadership of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has expressed its willingness to discuss how to recover lost instructional hours following their two-month-long strike, which lasted from June 14 to August 20, 2024.

The strike was initiated in protest of the government’s failure to implement the agreed-upon conditions of service for CETAG members.

After successful negotiations with the National Labour Commission and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, CETAG called off the strike on Tuesday, August 20.

However, in an interview with Citi News, CETAG’s national president, Prince Obeng-Himah, emphasized that while the association is open to discussions on recovering lost time, the teachers will not agree to work beyond the usual class hours.

“Some time ago, when it happened, we were compelled to teach up to 9 pm, 10 pm, then we started teaching the following day at 5 am. We are not prepared to go along that tangent. We will teach normally.

“It was not through any fault of ours because it is on record that ours is the only legal strike that Ghana has seen where we have gone on strike for two solid months and the National Labour Commission has not been able to pronounce it illegal.

“They have failed in their attempt to secure court injunctions to stop us and all of that. So we did not fault in any way. So if we are looking at Ghana in the face to say that we have called it off, there is no way anybody should impose anything that will put our health and what have you under pressure.”

The Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has made a promise to provide to scrap academic fees for first-year students in public universities.

This policy according to the party is part of a broader set of reforms aimed at making higher education accessible for all, most especially for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

During the party’s youth manifesto launch in Accra on Monday, 12 August 2024, the flagbearer of the party, John Dramani Mahama highlighted several other key proposals including its “24-hour economy policy,” which aims to stimulate economic activity around the clock, potentially creating more job opportunities and improving productivity.

“We will create an enabling environment for young people to thrive and lay a foundation for prosperous Ghanaians not just a few.

“We will increase access to quality education from the basic and second cycle to tertiary levels as well as affordable healthcare and numerous job creation programmes,” he said.

Additionally, the party proposed the establishment of a Ministry for Youth Development, which the Party’s leader, Mahama says would presumably focus on unlocking the full potential of Ghana’s young people.