Secretary of the University of Ghana branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) Professor Ransford Gyampo has stressed that his outfit will battle the National Labour Commission (NLC) in court.

UTAG and the NLC have been at each other’s throat in the last few weeks after the latter ordered the former to return to the lecture halls.

NLC described their strike action as illegal.

On Tuesday, January 25, 2022, the NLC filed an Application at the High Court to enforce its earlier directive to compel UTAG to call off its strike.

In the suit, the NLC also filed a motion ex-parte for interlocutory injunction, asking the court to grant their injunction without giving UTAG the opportunity to argue why it should not be restrained from continuing with its strike pending a final determination of the main motion.

Unfortunately for the NLC, the judge who looked at the suit considering the magnitude of the National Matter did not allow the NLC’s motion to be moved.

Subsequently, the NLC has now filed another Motion for interlocutory injunction, this time on Notice.

In a statement that has followed from UTAG-UG Secretary Prof. Gyampo, he has emphasised, “We will battle this out with our last sweat, Walai.”

According to him, UTAG will face the NLC in Court next week to argue their case on why the injunction should not be granted.

Below is the statement from Prof. Ransford Gyampo:

UTAG-1, NLC-0

An Update on the NLC’s Legal Suit of UTAG

On 25th January, 2022, the NLC filed an Application at the High Court to enforce its earlier directive to compel UTAG to call off its strike.

As part of this main suit, the NLC also filed a motion Ex parte for interlocutory injunction. Meaning they wanted the court to grant their injunction without notice to UTAG or giving UTAG the opportunity to argue why the UTAG should not be restrained from continuing with its strike pending a final determination of the main motion.

But a bold judge looking at the magnitude of this National Matter did not allow the NLC’s motion to be moved. This explains why the NLC has now filed another Motion for interlocutory injunction, this time on Notice. This provides an opportunity for UTAG to be heard on why the injunction should not be granted. We will battle this out with our last sweat, Walai.

The cowardice practice of going surreptitiously to the courts to receive injunction order at the blind spot of labor, and splashing the order on social media is only indicative of the height of bad faith often demonstrated by a body expected to serve as an independent arbiter in labor dispute.

This is a big victory for rule of law and for UTAG. We will fight the remaining battles in court and do trust in the competence and independence of the judiciary in handling this serious matter and bringing finality to the battle for better conditions of service by labor.

Yaw Gyampo

A31, Prabiw

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