Three teacher unions threaten to strike over vehicle maintenance allowance
Written by GliveRadio Accra on June 12, 2024
Tertiary institutions are likely to experience disruptions in teaching and learning activities as three labor unions have announced plans to begin industrial action effective June 21.
This decision follows the exclusion of their members from the recent review of the Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (VMA) and related allowances.
The Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), Federation of Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG), and Teachers and Educational Workers Union of Trade Union Congress (TEWU-TUC) stated on Tuesday, June 11, that the exclusion violates the principles of fairness and natural justice.
The unions, representing senior and junior staff members in the university system, feel unfairly excluded from the VMA review, which was granted to the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG).
In the statement, the unions explained that they have been advocating for an upward review of the VMA for some time and are demanding immediate inclusion in the recent adjustments.
They have given the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission a deadline of June 21, 2024, to respond to their demands, failing which they will embark on industrial action.
The leadership of the three unions has urged all members to stand firm and demand justice, believing that equal treatment and fair allowances will promote industrial harmony and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of tertiary institutions in Ghana.
“The Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), the Federation of Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG), and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union of Trade Union Congress (TEWU-TUC) are giving notice to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission of Ghana that we will be compelled to take further action if the Commission fails to rectify the disparity regarding our members in relation to the Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (VMA) and other related allowances.”