Court slaps UTAG with GH¢3,000 cost for a waste of time

The Labour Court 1 Division of the High Court has awarded a cost of GH¢3,000 against the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) for what the Court says was a waste of its time.

The Court convened on Monday to hear an injunction application brought against the teacher union by the National Labour Commission over the former’s ongoing industrial action.

But the hearing could not proceed due to UTAG’s inability to complete its processes. Its lawyers told the Court that they had hoped the elaborate processes could be dispensed of, given the urgency of the situation.

The Court, however, not impressed with the situation, slapped UTAG with the cost.

The case has since been adjourned to Wednesday, August 19, 2021.

UTAG members have been on strike since the beginning of August because they want the government to restore the conditions of service agreed upon in 2012 which they said was far better than the current situation.

The 2012 Single Spine package put entry-level lecturers on a salary of $2,084 while the current level puts lecturers’ salaries around $900.

The strike by UTAG has severely affected academic and some non-academic work at the various tertiary campuses.

The Commission on Friday, August 6 secured an interlocutory injunction from the court to compel UTAG to call off their strike which started on Monday, August 2, 2021.

UTAG however refused to comply with the order, indicating that the premise is false.

While the NLC said that UTAG cannot remain on strike while negotiations with the government are ongoing, UTAG insists that there is currently no active negotiation between them and the government.