General Secretary of the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Dr. Jerry Joe Harrison, has indicated that Organised Labour’s suspension of its intended strike is a betrayal and disappointment to the state.
He says the decision taken by the leadership of the unions did not factor the interest of the nation.
Organised Labour, as part of its measures to compel the government to act on the illegal mining menace which is also known as ‘galamsey’, threatened a nationwide strike.
According to the unions, government should declare a state of emergency and impose a ban on all forms of small-scale mining. This is due to the devastation nature of the environment, considering the turbidity levels of water bodies, required an urgent action from the government unlike its lackadaisical attitude towards the practice.
On Wednesday, October 09, 2024, a day to the commencement of the strike, leadership of Organised Labour announced that the intended strike has been called off.
This was announced by the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Joshua Ansah on Wednesday.
Speaking in Accra, the Congress indicated that the decision followed a meeting with the government, during which the administration offered enhanced measures to strengthen the fight against illegal mining.
The leadership said that the government’s proposed actions were enough for them to back down on the strike, expressing hope that they were enough to resolve the matter.
Reacting to the issue on the KeyPoints Saturday, October 12, 2024, on TV3, he Dr. Harrison stated that “we do not only feel betrayed but also disappointed. I feel that the decision was not in the interest of the country” when asked if UTAG feels betrayed by the decision.
This comes in the light of the fact that UTAG, a member of Organised Labour, indicated that it was not pleased with the decision to abort the strike.
It therefore carried on with the strike, urging members of the union not to teach until the government takes a drastic decision on the matter other than the usual setting up of committees and cosmetic actions that have not yielded any results over the years.
