Exercise a sense of compromise – Kufuor to UTAG

Former president, John Agyekum Kufuor, has asked members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to consider reaching a compromise with the Government of Ghana and return to the classroom.

UTAG Monday, February 21, had suspended its six-week long strike over what they say is a deteriorating conditions of service. The suspension of the strike follows an interlocutory injunction by the High Court.

But UTAG said it reached the decision to suspend the strike after an intervention from some eminent persons including the former president, John Agyekum Kufuor, business mogul, Sam Jonah and members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education. This decision, according to UTAG is subject to voting by members of its 15 Chapters across the country.

Paying a call on the former president for further engagements on the matter, he advised UTAG to consider the full ramifications of their industrial action as well as the size of the national purse at the moment.

“You have to see whether the employer being the state is in a position as we speak now to meet your demands in full. You also know that without your services you will sort of be blighting the future of the youth and the nation. So what do you do? The sense of compromise should come”, he said.

Leadership of UTAG on its part has called for support from its members on their next line of action. President of the Association, Prof Solomon Nunoo, asked members to agree to give government a chance.

“We believe that membership should back leadership at this time. We need their backing, we need their support so that together we can make progress. Also as leadership we believe that we need to start from somewhere so starting from somewhere is what we’re asking that let’s give government that one more chance and see what we can get from this particular engagement”, he said.