University of Ghana postpones reopening amid nationwide labour strikes

The University of Ghana has indefinitely postponed the reopening of its 2024/2025 academic year due to an ongoing strike by several labour unions. The decision, announced in a statement on 25 September 2024, comes as various employee groups across the country have embarked on industrial action.

The university noted that while the general reopening has been delayed, special programmes will, however, proceed as scheduled, assuring stakeholders that a new date will be communicated in due course.

It is announced for the attention of students and other stakeholders that the commencement of the 2024/2025 academic year has been postponed. This is due to the ongoing strike action by various employee groupings. Special programmes will, however, proceed as scheduled. A new date for the commencement of the 2024/2025 academic year will be announced in due course.

This development is part of a broader wave of industrial strikes sweeping across Ghana, with several unions expressing dissatisfaction over working conditions, unresolved pension deductions, and unfulfilled government promises. Five unions are already on strike, including the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana, which halted work on 16 September 2024. The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) joined the strike on 20 September, citing delays in the payment of vehicle maintenance and off-campus allowances, as well as issues surrounding Tier Two pension deductions.

Other unions that have initiated strike action include the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Federation of Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG), and the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), all of which have been on strike since mid-September, demanding improved working conditions and the fulfilment of past agreements with the government.

The situation is expected to escalate as more unions, including the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), have announced plans to strike before the end of September.

Labour analyst Austin Gamey attributes the surge in strikes to concerns over a potential change in government. According to Gamey, many unions are pushing for their demands to be met now, fearing that a new administration might delay addressing their grievances.

They want the present government to settle their arrears before any transition, as new governments often ask for time to resolve such matters, Gamey explained in an interview with Accra based Citi FM.

The strikes have raised concerns about their impact on essential sectors and the country’s economy.

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