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Galamsey: To determine whether or not to support the October 10 strike, UTAG will vote
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Voting on whether or not to support the decision to go on strike in accordance with the organization's constitution has begun among members of the University Teachers Association (UTAG) on a number of campuses. At the University for Development Studies (UDS), voting is now complete, with 311 members casting ballots.
13.5% disagreed with the proposal that UTAG declare an industrial action, while 86.5 % supported it. Prof. Mamudu Akurugu, the president of UTAG, is optimistic that the decision to go on strike would be supported by a vote on every campus. He further stated that by Tuesday, October 8, the vote will be over.
“In the case of UTAG, our constitution mandates that individuals have to vote for the declaration of an industrial action and we have started that process already. We trust the members who asked us to become part of organised labour, and we know that the vast majority of our members will vote in favour of the declaration of industrial action.
There are still votes being cast on other campuses. In the meantime, the organised labour leadership is adamant that, should their demands not be satisfied, they would launch a statewide strike on Thursday, October 10.
The organisation is demanding the revocation of L.I. 2462, which enables mining in forest reserves, the establishment of a state of emergency to safeguard rivers and water bodies, and small-scale mining be temporarily prohibited.
In a meeting with labour leaders, President Akufo-Addo asked for more time to fulfil these issues, albeit it appears that they also agreed to remove the L.I. that allows mining in forest areas. To deliberate on the next line of action, organised labour is currently convening at the TUC conference room in Accra.
Source:
Adomonline