Head of Psychology at University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo, has cautioned government against its implacable approach in resolving the impasse between the two bodies.
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has embarked on strike to register their displeasure with government over their conditions of service.
They seek government to heed their demands and also take pragmatic steps to improve their conditions before they return to work.
However, there have been many calls on them to go to the negotiation table with the government which the UTAG executives are already doing to find amicable solutions to their challenges.
But the government is trying to bulldoze them with legal threats into calling off their strike action.
This was revealed by UTAG President, Professor Charles Marfo, during an interview with host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ”Kokrokoo” on Monday, August 9, 2021.
He disclosed that some government powers, in a meeting with them, forcefully told them to return to work or else they will use the court to compel them to do so.
Reacting to the government’s threats, Prof. Joseph Osafo, a member of UTAG and Head of Psychology at University of Ghana, has warned that the use of force won’t help in persuading them but rather aggravate the situation.
He advised the government to lower their tone in dealing with them if they want to reach a consensus, stressing, ”the government’s muscular response doesn’t help . . . Currently, the members in various thirteen (13) institutions have all agreed to face off the government”.
”The kind of psychological environment and state we’re in right now, there is a certain state now from last year till today, at all front of governance; it’s not just politics but everywhere. The COVID pandemic has aroused sensations, so the slightest thing sparks anger . . . That’s why I’m saying the government must be careful about its muscular response’,” he added.
