UTAG will have to respect court order even if displeased – Education Ministry

Deputy Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry for Education, Ernest Akosah says the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has no option but to call off their strike per the court order directing them to return to the classroom.

He believes although they (UTAG) may be unhappy with this directive, they have no option other than to regard it.

An injunction by the Labour Division of the Accra High Court on Tuesday, February 15 directed UTAG to suspend its strike action and return to the negotiation table.

The order from the Court follows an appeal by the National Labour Commission (NLC) for an interlocutory injunction to suspend the strike by UTAG while negotiations continue.

UTAG is therefore expected to halt the strike until the Court determines the substantive application by the NLC.

The Court presided over by Justice Frank Aboadwe Rockson noted that ongoing negotiations between the parties may not yield any result if the industrial action continues.

The Court had asked both parties to try an out-of-court settlement on two occasions.

“It is the law we are working with and we need to comply with it. If the court has asked UTAG to call off the strike and engage with their employer, then they need to call off the strike and heed to the law. There are dynamics in the court fraternity where the plaintiff or respondent may be displeased with the outcome but that doesn’t mean they must not heed to the court’s decision,” he told Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show.

To him, the court ruling came as no surprise because the UTAG strike was illegal from the onset. “It was illegal because you can’t embark on strike action and want your employer to engage you at the same time. It is never done.”

According to him, the delay in the payment of the market premium is not in bad faith and advised UTAG against embarking on strike actions as a way of getting what they want. “UTAG needs to exercise patience,” he added.