President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he is happy that members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) have suspended their strike.

“All of us are happy that the University Teachers Association has agreed, after some long-drawn negotiations to suspend their strike and go back to the negotiating table,” Nana Akufo-Addo said when the newly-elected executives of the National Unions of Ghana Students (NUGS) called on him at the Jubilee House, Accra on Thursday, 19 August 2021.

“We are hoping very much that some strong binding arrangement would be finally agreed on by the parties, as there is a roadmap that has been established, and hopefully, both parties stay true to the arrangement and carefully implement it.

“It is in the interest of all of us that there’s no disruption to academic work and that the teachers have the wherewithal to undertake this very important obligation that they have,” he stated.

UTAG has directed its members across public universities to restore teaching and other related activities effective, Monday, 23 August 2021 after being on strike for three weeks over their conditions of service.

UTAG, in a statement, however, said a “suspended strike” is not the same as a “called-off strike” and, therefore, they will be monitoring if every word stated in a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between them and the National Labour Commission (NLC) and other stakeholders are upheld in the stated one-month period.

UTAG only suspended the strike after it reached some agreement with stakeholders.

The agreement reached between UTAG and NLC and other stakeholders are:

1. That both parties (Government and UTAG) agree that there is a need to get back to the negotiating table from the week beginning Monday, 23 August 2021.

2. That a road for negotiation, as agreed at previous consultative meetings between the parties, which imposes a one-month mandatory period beginning 23 August 2021 for negotiations, shall be signed by both parties;

3. That whilst the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations in conjunction with the NLC is taking steps to discontinue all legal processes against UTAG, UTAG will also take steps to suspend the ongoing strike action;

4. That government acknowledges the need to improve the working conditions of university teachers and shall treat this with all the seriousness it deserves.