Some students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) were left stranded on Thursday as lecture halls were locked when they turned up for lectures.
This occurred after the Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWUG) members, whose duty it is to set up the lecture halls, abandoned their posts in compliance with a strike directive by the national executive.
The strike by the TEWUG, which began today [February 1], has seen the withdrawal of services by their members, and the action is taking a toll on the university’s operations.
The maintenance unit and other departments providing essential services like electrical services, masonry, carpentry, plumbing, among others, have also been shut down.
The KNUST local chapter chairman of TEWUG, Charles Arthur, speaking to Citi News, indicated that members are complying with the strike.
He, however, accused the university’s management of interference, as casual staff are taking over some duties to offer key services that were rendered by union members.
“We have seen that most of our members are complying with the directives of the strike. If you come to the maintenance and other essential services, the place is shut down, and we have casual workers trying to take over, and the casuals take instructions from us and not directly from management. As a result of that, if we are not there, they cannot work.”
“We have noticed that management still wants to use some casual workers, but we will still deal with that. But for now, we are certain that the strike is still ongoing, and we are adhering to the directives.”
