- Three major Ghanaian unions have threatened industrial action on August 9
- The unions accuse the government of delaying the payment of agreed-upon allowances
- The unions claim that while some institutions have received the payments, others have been excluded
Three unions have warned of a potential strike starting August 9, 2024, if the Ministry of Finance does not approve the payment of agreed-upon allowances by August 8, 2024.
The unions involved are the Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), the Federation of Senior Staff Associations of Ghana (FUSSAG), and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union of the Trade Union Congress (TEWU-TUC).
The unions have voiced frustration over the Finance Ministry’s failure to issue the necessary authorization for the payment of the Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (VMA) and other allowances. In a statement released on August 5, they announced that if the ministry does not provide the authorization by the end of the day on August 8, they will initiate industrial action the following day.
The unions accuse the Ministry of Finance of neglecting their requests despite several attempts to engage with them. They noted that while universities receiving government funding have been paid, those on the Controller and Accountant General’s payroll have not.
Additionally, they allege that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has instructed universities to withhold the new rate of allowances until the Ministry issues a formal authorization, effectively leaving some workers without the agreed-upon payments.
The unions have criticized what they perceive as government tactics to avoid fulfilling their agreements.
