NLC Orders Striking University Staff to Resume Work Immediately – GhArticles.com
The National Labour Commission (NLC) has issued a directive to three striking university staff unions to immediately end their industrial action, citing violations of Ghana’s Labour Act.
In a letter dated May 21, 2025, the NLC invoked Section 139(1)(d) of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) to order the Senior Staff Association–Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), the Technical University Administrators Association of Ghana (TUAAG), and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG) to return to work without delay.
The strike was prompted by the alleged non-implementation of conditions of service agreed upon in a November 12, 2024 deal between the unions and the government. A notice of intention to strike had been served on the Commission on May 12, 2025.
During a hearing on May 21, FUSSAG and TUAAG appeared before the NLC, while SSA-UoG was absent. Representatives from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), and the Ministry of Finance also attended.
Despite a prior directive from the NLC to refrain from striking, the unions declared an indefinite strike in a press release issued the same day, accusing the government of repeatedly breaching the agreement.
In response, the Commission announced it would no longer entertain the matter, citing Section 161 of the Labour Act, which bars the Commission from hearing cases where the parties involved are engaged in illegal strike actions.