20100914
africanews

University lecturers and other supporting staff of Ghana are planning a sit-down strike. The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has served notice it is joining others in public universities to register their protest over salary arrears.

The Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee concluded a 10 percent pay increase across-the-board for all public servants effective January 2010.

According to Luv FM, the committee agreed payment of the new salary levels will be effected in July while arrears will be paid in two tranches in August and September.

However, TEWU members in public universities say they are yet to receive the first tranche, prompting the agitation.

Luv Fm inquiries indicate junior workers at the KNUST are particularly pressing on their leaders to ensure the arrears are paid in full and not in tranches.

Some who were idling around the campus told our reporter “we need our share which we are supposed to get to energize us to work as the government expects… without the money we cannot do anything, without motivation we cannot do anything.”

At the time of filing this report, TEWU executives were filing notices to the University management to commence action on Wednesday.