Korle Bu educators threaten strike

The Teachers Educational Workers’ Union, (TEWU) of the College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana Medical School at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, have threatened an indefinite strike.
They say if management does not pay their interim market premium owed them since last year, they will be forced to strike.
According to them, the premium, which is an allowance for staff calculated according to basic salary, has not been paid despite a series of meetings with the management and directive from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
The Korle-Bu TEWU accused the management of the school of paying only the staff of the Dental Clinic, but the rest of the staff were told to hold on while it (management) sought interpretation of the directive from the FWSC which stated that management should pay the clinical staff and others their allowances.
The group organized a demonstration last year concerning the non-payment of the allowance, but rescinded their decision after talks with management over the issue.
Sulemana Abdul Karim, Chairman of the Korle-Bu TEWU, said since the meeting with management last year, it (management) had failed to abide by the agreed date for the payment to be made to the staff.
“When the issue cropped up, a committee set up by the management and the leadership of the group met with the FWSC and agreed for the arrears to be paid by February this year,” he explained.
Mr. Abdul Karim said that the committee asked the group to provide the necessary documents to facilitate the payment of the allowances but had refused to act on the document received to facilitate the payment.
Mr. Karim pointed out that he and his colleagues would withhold their services till they hear something positive from management.