The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) is urging the government to swiftly address the demands of the Senior Staff Associations of the universities in the country.
Senior Staff Association of the Public Universities in Ghana (SSA-UoG) and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff (FUSSAG) on Wednesday 17 January 2024, declared an indefinite nationwide strike over the blatant disregard for their welfare by the government.
According to the Association, their calls for the payment of their two-tier pension and overtime allowances requests have gone unheeded, resulting in the strike.
The strike has led to the withdrawal of various services, including healthcare, administration, and security, affecting final-year students who require strict supervision from senior technicians during their practical sessions.
The president of NUGS, Daniel Oppong Kyeremeh, in an interview with Citi News, described the situation as a hindrance to the progress of academic work.
He said, “We’ve had complaints, especially from students who are now in their final year, third year, and particularly science students who will mostly be engaging in practical sessions, needing these senior officers, especially technicians in the labs. The students are all complaining because they have not started their final-year projects and will need the strict supervision of these technicians, who are senior members. All these individuals are needed in the labs and offices. Each role played by these individuals helps in the smooth running of academic activities.”
He thus called on the government to address this issue as soon as possible with the unions.
“We are just asking the government to sit down with these unions and come to an agreement with them. According to their conversations, they have been fighting for these conditions of service for years, and the government keeps rescheduling meetings and not giving them proper attention.”
Mr. Oppong further called on the government to outline reasons for their inability to meet the demands for better conditions of service. He stressed that the absence of the vital services of the senior staff was hampering the progress of academic work.