The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has implored the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to be measured in their expectations as they continue to engage government on their conditions of service.
The university lecturers in January this year embarked on strike over what they described as worsening condition of service.
The group accused government of taking them for granted for far too long.
However, after some engagements with stakeholders UTAG suspended the industrial action on February 21 but officially returned to the classroom on March 8 with the hope that the employer will demonstrate good faith by being committed to all agreements to help maintain industrial harmony.
Speaking at a special congregation ceremony at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on Saturday June 11, 2022, the Asantehene who also doubles as the Chancellor for KNUST urged government to ensure that workers get their deserved wages.
He however urged UTAG and other government workers to minimize their expectations during negotiations.
“I call on UTAG, and for that matter all other unions on campus and civil society at large, to be measured in their expectations, particularly at this time that the global economy is battling the deleterious effect of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“I am not a student of economics but I know that resources are always limited and therefore we cannot have what we want all the time”
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II proposed the use of dialogue in resolving conflicts in all future negotiations between labour unions and government to avoid prolonged strikes.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has already created a dent in the academic calendar and we do not want to see labour unrests deepening this dent”, he added.
By Ibrahim Abubakar
