POTAG Adamant

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu
Despite a directive by the National Labour Commission (NLC), Daily Guide can confirm that polytechnic lecturers are still on strike.

National President of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), Godfred Abledu in a telephone interview yesterday said the association has not received any directive from the NMC to resume work.

He said the meeting that POTAG had with the NLC together with Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and Conference of Polytechnic Rectors on September 8, 2010 did not last for more than two minutes and wondered the basis for the NLC’s directive.

“The NLC at the short meeting asked the FWSC to respond to the demands raised by POTAG and the meeting was fixed for September 15, 2010, so we do not understand where this directive is coming from.”

Mr. Abledu said POTAG has directed its organizing secretary who is based in Accra to contact the NLC for details.

The NLC on September 8, 2010 in a directive signed by Edward Briku-Boadu for Executive Secretary of the Commission said “the POTAG should call off its strike action immediately and return to normal duties.”

The commission also directed the parties in dispute – National POTAG, Conference of Rectors of Polytechnics and the FWSC to appear before the commission on September 15, 2010.

The directive was copied to the Minister of Education, the Executive Secretary of National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), the Chief Executive of FWSC and the Chairmen of Council of the Polytechnics.

The POTAG on September 2, 2010 started what they called “a nationwide sit down strike” with immediate effect because the government has refused to negotiate for their conditions of service.

POTAG had said the government has not listened to them since their conditions of service expired in 2008.

“We had an emergency meeting early this week in Koforidua over the issue of our conditions of service and we have unanimously resolved withdraw our services to press home for improved conditions of service,” Mr. Abledu said at the time.

Registered about 10 years ago as a labour union, POTAG has over 1000 members scattered all over polytechnics in the country.