The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has clarified that its recent strike action against illegal mining, also known as galamsey, has not been called off but rather temporarily suspended.
This comes after UTAG in a statement called on its members to suspend the strike action effective October 29, 2024.
During an interview on Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 24, 2024, Prof. Akudugu explained that the decision to suspend the strike was reached by the National Executive Committee (NEC), which intends to meet with its members during the suspension period to deliberate on the next steps.
He hinted that they could strike again if the UTAG members were not satisfied with the government’s current effort to end illegal mining.
“The proposal of the NEC is not to call off the strike but to suspend it; there is a difference between them. So, when we suspend, it means that we are giving a breather and we have a timeline within which, if what we plan we don’t get, we will resume it accordingly. If we call off it means you are satisfied with whatever you’ve gotten and therefore that is the end. But in this particular case, we have to suspend.
UTAG has been at the forefront of the fight against illegal mining, which has devastated parts of Ghana’s environment, particularly water bodies and farmlands.
However, Prof. Akudugu expressed disappointment over the lack of support from other unions.
“We want to also call on all Ghanaians that we have stuck our neck out for the past two weeks. Unfortunately, some of the unions that indicated that they were going to join us, none did.
“But we will continue to fight the best way that we could and we will continue to make sure that whichever available tools and techniques that are legally available to us we will use to ensure that this galamsey fight is won,” he stated.
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