Members of the Silent Majority of UTAG
A dissenting group of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), the Silent Majority, has issued a three-day ultimatum to the National Executive Council (NEC) to call off the ongoing strike by lecturers.
The group rubbished the action as lacking justification in the face of the decision of Organised Labour, which called for the action in the first place.
The Silent Majority laid bare its position during a press conference at the International Press Centre in Accra yesterday.
Organised Labour, following the decision of government to take certain measures against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, called off its nationwide strike threat, it would be recalled.
Speaking on behalf of the Silent Majority, the Dean of the Faculty of Accounting and Finance, Professor Isaac Boadi, emphasised that the NEC of UTAG should focus on how the government is implementing the roadmap that was presented to Organised Labour, which led to the suspension of the strike.
He stated that on October 2, 2024, the national leadership of UTAG issued an October 8, 2024 correspondence to the campuses calling on members to vote on the motion, “Should NEC of UTAG declare an industrial action in support of a national ban on mining and prospecting for gold and other minerals in forests, rivers and farms?”
October 10, 2024, he said, was the ultimatum given to the campuses to respond as per the advertisement.
Their endorsement was in support of Organised Labour’s decision to embark on a nationwide strike demanding a ban on illegal mining, prospecting for gold and other minerals on forests, farms and rivers.
According to him, after government’s response to the concerns of Organised Labour on October 9, 2024 and a subsequent suspension of the action, UTAG was asked to do same.
Prof. Boadi said, “The mandate granted to the NEC of UTAG, expired with a suspension of the strike by Organised Labour, however, we were therefore taken aback by the media commentary by some members of NEC and the subsequent declaration of an indefinite strike by NEC.”
“Respectfully, this was not the mandate that the NEC of UTAG sought from members, hence, it is a collective convention that UTAG NEC should have referred the matter back to member campuses to allow for a separate motion to be voted on instead of a unilateral decision by the two,” he noted.
This, he said, will be solution-driven and yield the expected impact, adding, “We strongly believe that UTAG executives are elected to represent the interests of all members and not just some, hence, the concern of all members must be taken seriously.”
Prof. Boadi tasked the national leadership to take immediate action to call off the strike before Friday, October 18, 2024.
The national leadership, he said, should take action on only three important issues: calling off the strike immediately; constitute a team that will monitor the implementation of government’s roadmap to addressing the galamsey menace; UTAG NEC should invite all presidential candidates, including the parliamentary candidates in mining constituencies to sign and publicly declare their support for the national action being taken to address illegal mining in Ghana.
Their intention, according to him, is not to undermine the effort of their leadership, but to ensure that the right thing is done by all to serve the interest of the association and the nation as a whole.
“We remain committed to working together towards a resolution that protects the interests of members whilst maintaining unity within the union and the country at large,” he assured.
He commended the Ghanaian populace for their collective resolve in addressing the menace of galamsey once and for all, and thus, called on the media, presidential and parliamentary candidates, revered chiefs, youth in mining communities, security forces, and the entire Ghanaian populace to work together to win this battle.
By Janet Odei Amponsah & Vera Owusu Sarpong