UCC Senior Staff Association To Strike Over Actions, Inactions Of University Management

The Senior Staff Association (SSA) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has threatened to embark on industrial action against its management on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, over their pending concerns.

In a statement, the SSA chapter of the UCC noted its concerns including the failure of their institutions to implement the GTEC accepted qualification requirements for promotion and upgrade to senior member cadre, breach of some of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)’s policies, breach of the Labour Act, and the university’ actions and inactions they are not satisfied with.

“We, therefore, wish to unequivocally serve notice of intention to embark on a strike against Management of the University of Cape Coast should they fail to favourably act on our matter before Wednesday, 18th May 2022”, it relayed.

This adds up to the SSA branch of the University for Development Studies (UDS)’s threat to embark on strike today, May 12, 2022.

Grievances of the UCC SSA include:

1. The University’s failure to respect and implement recommendations of GTEC on the concerns of Senior Staff Association- on qualification requirements for promotion and upgrade to senior member cadre, contained in a letter dated December 24, 2021.
2. The University’s demand for Master of Philosophy or its equivalent before senior staff are appointed to senior membership status. This practice is at variance with Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)’s policy regarding such promotions.
3. Mandatory bonding of senior staff, who are considered for study leave, to serve the number of years spent in school before they are promoted.
4. Junior staff who pursue further studies in anticipation of becoming senior staff are made to serve a probationary period of six (6) months before they are migrated to senior staff status, whereas freshly recruited staff of same qualification are migrated directly which is alien to the labour act.
5. Disparity in Extra Duty Allowance for junior and senior staff with respect to the Security Personnel, Drivers, etc.
6. Overtime allowance which has been negotiated and agreed on per our Conditions of Service and being paid to staff in other public universities is not paid to qualified staff at the University of Cape Coast
7. Strangely, staff who use their weekends and leave days to pursue further studies with no financial support from the University are still classified as study leave.
8. Some technical staff, for instance drivers are currently at crossroads due to unclear progressional status of their carrier path. This is not the practice in many other sister universities.
9. Some senior staff with higher qualification aside diploma are not being promoted without possessing first degree which is at variance with the GTEC policy.
10. Senior Library Assistants at the Library already acquire relevant knowledge and experience on the job as other analogous designations and hence do not necessarily need further studies before being promoted. We believe that this practice is unfair. (https://www.genusinnovation.com/)
11. Progression from Senior Staff to Senior Membership has stalled for colleagues in the laboratory technician carrier.
12. Senior Staff who duly qualify for senior membership should be granted and not necessarily tied to headship.
13. Senior Staff who assume duties of headship are not being paid Responsibility Allowance as expected even though they assume such responsibilities.
14. Long serving staff who have attained Chief Administrative Assistant should be promoted/appointed to senior membership prior to retirement.
15. The University’s refusal to provide transportation services to cushion staff who do not have vehicles to commute to work.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini