TEWU-Ghana Threatens Disruption Over Vice Chancellor Election at KNUST

In a significant development at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the local branch of the Tertiary Education Workers Union-Ghana (TEWU-Ghana) has declared intentions to disrupt a forthcoming University Council meeting set to elect a new Vice Chancellor. This decision follows tensions over the participation of representatives from the rival union, TEWU-TUC.

The two associations, TEWU-Ghana and TEWU-TUC, are currently embroiled in a legal dispute, resulting in the suspension of their membership in the 12-member University Council pending the outcome of a case at a Kumasi High Court. Despite this, TEWU-Ghana alleges that there are efforts to allow TEWU-TUC representatives to partake in the University Council’s activities.

TEWU-Ghana, which broke away from TEWU-TUC in June 2022, has significantly more members at KNUST, boasting 866 out of the 1,060 total union members. The union has had no representation on the KNUST University Council since 2019.

KNUST statutes stipulate that the University Council must include “a representative of the teachers and education workers Union.” The council is scheduled to reconvene on Thursday, June 20, 2024, to elect a Vice Chancellor after failing to endorse Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson for a second term in a previous meeting.

During an emergency meeting held on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, TEWU-Ghana executives at KNUST warned that including TEWU-TUC representatives in the voting process would lead to chaos on campus. Charles Arthur, Chairman of TEWU-Ghana's KNUST branch, expressed to Joy News that allowing TEWU-TUC to participate in the election would be illegal, especially since they were excluded from the initial round of voting.

“To our surprise, university management and TEWU-TUC have connived to allow TEWU-TUC to send a representative to the council,” Arthur said. He questioned the rationale behind recognizing a union with fewer members over the majority union. “In KNUST here, we have about 886 TEWU-Ghana members. The other side, TEWU-TUC, has fewer members. Out of 1,060, we have 866 members. At what point does the minority take precedence over the majority?” Arthur queried.

The union members have vowed to exercise their rights under the Labor Act, Act 651, if their demands are not met. “We have heard that there’s going to be a council meeting tomorrow. We are closely monitoring whether they would swear in somebody or not. If they swear in anyone, there will be industrial disharmony here,” Arthur warned.

He emphasized that the university management would regret any attempt to disregard an earlier ruling by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), which instructed all parties to maintain the status quo. The GTEC committee assigned to resolve the impasse has just begun its work.

“Our members are on the ground monitoring, and we have decided that if there’s an unlikely event, members will hold themselves in readiness. Whatever we can do to prevent confusion, we will do that,” Arthur stated.

Meanwhile, University Relations Officer Dr. Norris Bekoe has declined to comment on the issue.

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