3 higher education unions on strike against the unfair adjustment of vehicle maintenance allowances

Three higher education unions are threatening to abandon their tools by June 30, 2024, over what they describe as their exclusion from upward adjustments to vehicle maintenance and other allowances.

They include the Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU-GH), the Technical Universities Administrators Association of Ghana (TUAAG) and the Technical Universities Workers Association of Ghana (TUWAG).

They accuse the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) of adjusting vehicle maintenance allowances and other classified allowances for other categories of staff in higher education institutions, to the exclusion of their members.

Union leaders insist on the practice of adjusting these allowances for university staff, which has always been widespread.

They say the anomaly is “clearly discriminatory and unfair in the work environment on college campuses.”

Read the full statement below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALL MEDIA HOUSE

Dear Sir Madam,

INTENTION TO RETURN TO AN INDUSTRIAL STRIKE

The leaders of the Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU-GH), the Technical Universities Administrators Association of Ghana (TUAAG) and the Technical Universities Workers Association of Ghana (TUWAG), wish irrevocably declare that the discriminatory implementation of the newly approved Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (VMA) and other related allowances paid by the government must be reconsidered immediately.

The decision of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to exclude members of TEWU-GH, TUAAG and TUWAG from the implementation of the upward revision of the (VMA) is clearly discriminatory and unfair in the environment work on university campuses.

These situations have made TEWU-GH, TUAAG and TUWAG members on university campuses very unhappy with the current economic conditions in the country. We call on the employer to URGENTLY resolve this matter as soon as possible in order to avoid any unforeseen problems.

Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (VMA) and other related allowances in public universities are payable to all eligible categories of university staff.

The rate (VMA) is always the same and applies to all categories of university staff with a common effective date without any discrimination. This has been the practice since the creation of these special allocations.

The three unions TEWU-GH, TUAAG and TUWAG urge the government and all stakeholders to use this opportunity to promptly address the legitimate concerns raised to avoid any disruption on university campuses.

If the issues mentioned above are not resolved by June 30, 2024, we will invoke the relevant provision of the Labor Law for advice.

Sign:

SULEMANA ABDUL-RAHMAN; NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF TEWU_GH (0244147482)

Godwin Kumador; Secretary TUAAG (0245010240)

Ayárik Alateng John; National President TUWAG (0242336582)

CC :

1. Hon. Minister, Ministry of Education

2. Hon. Minister, Ministry of Finance

3. Hon. Minister, Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations

4. The Director General of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission

5. Director General, Ghana Tertiary Education Commission

6. The president of the VCG

7. The president of the VCTU-G

8. The Executive Secretary of the National Labor Commission