The Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG) have declared a strike action on Wednesday, following the government’s unwillingness to honour their 20% Cost of Living Allowance, also known as COLA.
The associations have therefore instructed all the various units in the schools, comprising security men and other support staff, to go home until the government heeds their demands.
The National Secretary of the group, Hector Owoahene-Acheampong, told the press that they had a meeting with the government on Tuesday to deliberate on how they were to receive their COLA allowance, but the government seemed to be dragging its feet.
Mr. Owoahene-Acheampong lamented that the economy has become so hard that they are not able to survive on the little salaries given to them by their employer, the government.
“Until the government provides us with all our needs, we aren’t working again,” he emphasised.
He said aside from the allowance they are demanding from their employer, the government, they also want the government to take steps to regularise some of their colleagues who have been working for a long time now but have not yet secured permanent employment.
“Some of our members have been working for the government for the past six years or more, yet are still temporary and casual staff and have no job security. We are calling on the government to take steps to make them permanent staff,” he stated.
The associations further bemoaned the disparities in the salaries of its members while questioning the delay in the payment of accrued interest on their Tier 2 pensions.
The government over the past week has been hit by strike actions and threats of strike actions, principally over the COLA.
On Tuesday, the leadership of the joint teacher and educational worker unions walked out of the negotiating table following the request of the government party to go back to work while the parties negotiated on their demand.
