The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) branch at the University of Ghana (UG) has voted against the National Executive Committee’s (NEC) recent decision to suspend its strike protesting illegal mining, or ‘galamsey.’
In a vote held on Friday, October 25, 290 members of UG’s UTAG Chapter opted to continue the strike, while 226 voted to end it. This comes after NEC’s announcement to halt the nationwide strike by October 29, following several weeks of industrial action across public universities, which had significantly disrupted academic schedules.
The strike, which began on October 10, 2024, was initially sparked by the government’s perceived inaction in combating illegal mining, a practice that poses severe threats to Ghana’s environment. UTAG’s action followed the failure of a planned strike by Organized Labour, whose leadership ultimately decided not to proceed. UTAG, however, pressed forward, citing the urgent need for stronger measures to tackle the galamsey crisis, which many see as a serious environmental threat. Some members within the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have also expressed concerns that enforcing a strict ban could lead to potential losses in parliamentary seats.
UTAG remains unsatisfied with the government’s proposal to reassign military forces to protect Ghana’s forests and water bodies, arguing that similar measures in the past have proven insufficient. Despite NEC’s call for UTAG members to return to teaching, classes for tertiary students are set to resume on November 1, 2024.
SOURCE: http://dew360.net
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