Prof Gyampo: You Can't Break UTAG's Front

 As the University Teachers Association of Ghana and the government continue to clash over the debilitating galamsey issue, Professor Ransford Gyampo, President of the University of Ghana chapter of UTAG, has made some rare, open-ended accusations against top government officials. According to Prof. Gyampo, some deputy ministers and influential members of the ruling New Patriotic Party are working behind the scenes to divide the union by convincing some of the members to suspend the strike.

The UTAG-UG is on strike protesting what the association believes is a lack of commitment by the government towards the eradication of galamsey from the environment, water bodies, and the livelihoods of the people. Galamsey has been one of the contentious issues, with civic organizations, environmentalists, and now labor unions demanding more forceful action from the government. According to Prof. Gyampo, while there were attempts by leading political figures to dismantle the union's collective stand, UTAG remains solid on the strike.

Appearing on Accra-based television station TV3 on October 19, 2024, Prof. Gyampo believed that such a move was a result of the government interfering in its activities and explained that "You can do all manner of things to divide and break the front of some labor unions, but not UTAG." He said he even overheard conversations between party functionaries and members of UTAG, compelling them to call off the strike.

Prof. Gyampo's comments highlight a growing sentiment among various stakeholders in Ghana that the governing government is steadily weakening democratic institutions by undermining key institutions and stifling critical voices, such as civil society and labor unions. UTAG's unwavering stance to remain intransigent in the face of political pressure reflects the growing discontent of citizens with government inaction on critical national issues like galamsey.