UCC@60 ANNIVERSARY SSA WEEK CELEBRATION.

SSA TRADE FAIR 2022

The 2022 edition of the Senior Staff Week Celebration forms part of the 60th Anniversary of the University of Cape Coast.

As part of the week-long activities, there will be a Two-Day Trade Fair.

The exhibition would offer senior staff operating business ventures, an opportunity to showcase their products/services to the University Community. This would also give business men and women the platform to assess opinions from clients and to meet with industry partners.

In addition, participants would enjoy free three (3) months advertisement on the SSA-UoG, UCC website.

Registration fee is Gh¢ 50.00. Interested persons are kindly requested to contact 0209046204 / 0205407333 / 0249097675 for further details.

Signed
Week Celebration Committee

Notice of Regular General Meeting

NOTICE OF REGULAR GENERAL MEETING
All Members of Senior Staff Association, Universities of Ghana, UCC Local (SSA-UoG, UCC) are
cordially invited to the 1
st Regular General Meeting of the year per the details below:
DATE: THURSDAY, 25TH AUGUST, 2022
VENUE: MAIN AUDITORIUM
TIME: 10:00AM PROMPT
ADENDA
1. Reading of 2020 Audited Financial Statement
2. Update on Grievances Submitted to University Management
3. Update on SSA Lands and Other Projects
4. Presentation-Pension Schemes in Ghana
5. A.O.B
Thank you.


Christopher Aggrey
Secretary

Free Breast Screening

Under the theme, ‘Get Screen and Be Saved’, the Women’s Commission, SSA-UoG, UCC organised a free breast screening and education for ladies of the senior staff cadre and the general public from Monday, 25th to Friday, 29th October, 2021.
The event, which took place at the forecourt of Sam Jonah Library was well attended. Over 200 females were screened.

Health Walk and Aerobic

As part of efforts to keep senior staff physically and mentally fit, the leadership of SSA-UoG, UCC local organised a health walk and screening on 21st September 2021. The health exercise started around 6:00 am at the Sam Jonah Library.

About 118 senior staff participated in the walking exercise to the New Cape Coast Stadium for aerobics and health
screening sessions.

DECLARATION OF GRAND FINALE STRIKE ACTION

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Senior Staff Association – Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) has on Tuesday 18th May 2021 declared an Indefinite Strike Action dubbed: “Grand Finale Strike”. The “Grand Finale Strike” Declaration took place on KNUST Campus with representations from all 10-Member Universities of the Association as well as some Senior Staff from KNUST Campus in the presence of the media.

To this end, the National Chairman of SSA-UoG, Bro. Mohammed Zakaria announced to the gathering that the “Grand Finale Strike Action” has been necessitated by government’s inability through its respective agencies to fully address the concerns and grievances of Senior Staff in public universities.

The protracted grievances of unpaid Tier 2 Pension Arrears, Award of Interim Market Premium & Non-basic Allowance and Review of Conditions of Service still remain unresolved by government and its responsible agencies with impunity and disrespect.

Thus far, the NEC of SSA-UoG hereby directs members of the Association to immediately participate in the “Grand Finale Strike Action” until government through its agencies do the needful. However, an exemption of one(1) week has been granted to members at Hospital, Basic Schools, Security and Fire Service only. Failure by government to swiftly address the aforementioned grievances will further compel NEC to fully withdraw all services of Senior Staff in all its member universities.

Subject to the decision of NEC, SSA-UoG, UCC Local equally declares that all members except those on exemption are to FULLY PARTICIPATE IN THE “GRAND FINALE STRIKE ACTION”. Members found to betray the Association by non-compliance of this directive shall be appropriately sanctioned. We continue to urge members to remain resolute behind leadership to achieve desired outcomes for all.

NEC Swears in Newly Elected SSA-UoG, UCC Local Executives

Senior Staff Association – Universities of Ghana, University of Cape Coast (SSA-UoG, UCC Local) after its successful election of new Executives on November 30, 2020, held a Hand-Over and Swearing-in Ceremony for the newly elected Executives on Thursday 21st January 2021 to take over the reigns of stewardship of the Union. At a well-attended and spectacular ceremony, the Chairperson for the occasion, Prof. Dora Francisca Edu-Boando (Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast) admonished the fresh Executives to acknowledge the efforts and successes made by the immediate past Executives in order to build on the growth of the Association. She urged the Executives to as a matter of importance seek the ultimate welfare of members and champion it accordingly. “The journey will not be easy. But success is real if you stay united in your cause”, she added.

On his part, the immediate past Chairman, Bro. Charles Amos Odoom thanked members for the opportunity to serve the Union and also recounted some of the successes chalked as well as challenges encountered during their tenure. He among other things mentioned the key role they played in eventually obtaining Collective Bargaining Certificate (CBS) for the mother association, improvement of Land Scheme and Vehicle Scheme for members. He pledged support for the next administration when necessary.

The Registrar of the University of Cape Coast, Mr. Jeff Teye Emmanuel Onyame administered the Oath of Office for the new Executives and charged them to work hard in improving the welfare of members at UCC and beyond.

The newly sworn-in Chairman of SSA-UoG, UCC Local, Bro. Sandy Kumi-Sinatra on behalf of his team expressed deep appreciation for the confidence reposed in them by members through very successful elections. He urged all who contested the elections to come together to build the Union after the keenly contested elections and forge ahead in unity to ensure the protection of rights and welfare of members. He pledged to the gathering of his commitment to work to the best of their ability to see to the redress of all outstanding issues including; payment of Interim Market Premium, Non-basic Allowance as well as better Conditions of Service for Senior Staff which have dragged on for far too long.

Bro. Kumi-Sinatra equally seized the opportunity to appeal to the University Management for support and collaborative effort in achieving the best for the Senior Staff fraternity.

Subsequent to a very successful event, the National Executive Council (NEC) of SSA-UoG led by the current Chairman, Bro. Zakaria Mohammed and immediate past Chairman, Bro. Majeed administered Oath of Office for the new Executive Committee of SSA-UoG UCC Local. This was occasioned in a National Swearing-in Ceremony held on Friday 22nd January 2021 at the Sasakawa Conference Room, University of Cape Coast.

The new Executives were also oriented on the modus operandi of unionism and related matters. They were admonished against disunity and urged to embrace togetherness and commonality of purpose to chart successful paths for SSA-UoG, UCC Local, and the national body of the Association.

New Executives:

Chairman – Sandy Kumi-Sinatra

Vice-Chairman – Enoch Mensah-Williams

Secretary – Christopher Aggrey

Assistant Secretary – Jacob Ewudzie

Trustee – Robert Mensah Essilfie

Women’s Commissioner – Joana Akinola

Executive Committee Members – Lawrence Pobee and Dickson Senyo Yaw Amedahe.

Serve with Honour- Pro Vice-Chancellor Advises SSA-UoG, UCC Executives

The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora Francisca Edu-Buandoh has implored the new executives of the Senior Staff Association, Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), UCC Local to serve with honour as they assume leadership of the association.

Prof. Edu-Buandoh made the remark at the handing over and swearing-in ceremony for newly elected executives of the association.

Unity

The Pro Vice-Chancellor called on the new executives to serve as a unifying force for the association by being honest and providing selfless leadership. She urged them to be committed and dedicated to their leadership responsibilities to deliver better services to their members.

Whilst serving as leaders of the association, the Pro Vice-Chancellor advised them to also be responsible and hard working in their various offices to set good examples to members of the SSA-UCC. “Remember that you are a staff of the University and you must be committed to your duties for your followers to also do same,” she encouraged.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor commended the immediate past executives for their cooperation with Management during their tenure. She assured the new executives that Management would also support them to succeed.

Addressing Concerns

The new Chairman of SSA-UoG, UCC Local, Mr. Sandy Kumi Sinatra, in his acceptance speech, pledged that his administration would work to the best of their abilities to address issues concerning members. He mentioned that key among the issues to be addressed were payment of market premium and non-basic allowance to staff, Conditions of Service and Scheme of Service and other Single Spine Salary related issues. “These issues in my view have dragged on for long and should be addressed within the shortest possible time,” he stressed.

Positive Results

Mr. Sinatra assured members that he would not relent in his effort until positive results were achieved. In view of this, he said the association would require the support of the Management of the University. “It is our hope that we can count on Management when the time comes,” he requested.
He asked members to work towards the development of the University. “As we work to get your concerns addressed, we entreat and urge colleagues to continue to give off their best in service towards the progress of the University and Ghana in general,” he urged. He further indicated that his administration would be transparent in their responsibilities as executives so that they could collectively put the name of the association on a higher pedestal.

Stewardship of Past Leadership

Accounting for the stewardship of his administration, the immediate past Chairman of SSA-UoG, UCC Local, Mr. Amos Charles Odoom, noted that over the period, the leadership of the Association held several meetings with stakeholders including the University Management, the FWSC, the Labour Commission, and the Ministry of Education to address concerns of members.
Some of the achievements he mentioned were securing a secretariat for the association, increase in welfare packages for staff, the introduction of drug refund, education fund, land and vehicle schemes. Others include securing blocks 39 and 40 for senior staff negotiation for an increase in electricity rebate among others.

Outgoing and Elected Executives of SSA-UoG Interact with Vice-Chancellor

The outgoing executives of the Senior Staff Association, Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), UCC Branch, has introduced newly elected executives to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong.

Peaceful Co-Existence

The Vice-Chancellor thanked the outgoing Chairman, Mr. Charles Amos Odoom, and his team of executives for contributing to the peaceful co-existence on campus during their tenure of office. He explained that the Senior Staff Association was one of the most progressive union on campus. He welcomed the new executives and promised to have a good working relationship with them to help develop and contribute to the progress of both the union and the university.

Prof. Boampong assured the new executives of Management’s support to enable them to do their work. He urged them to contribute their quota to help build the University to make it better.

Gratitude

On his part, Mr. Charles Amos Odoom expressed his gratitude to Management of the University for the support provided the association over the years.

Collective Interest of Staff

The newly elected Chairman, Mr. Sandy Kumi Sinatra, said that the Senior Staff Association was a major manpower in the University. “We are the conduit between management and the junior staff and we know there is a lot that Management expects from us”, he noted.

Mr. Sinatra called on Management to grant them audience in the future whenever there were issues concerning staff of the University. “The collective interest of the people should prevail over our individual interest, so that going forward, when there are issues, we can solve them amicably”, he appealed.
Present at the meeting were the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh and Registrar, Mr. Jeff Teye Onyame.

SSA-UoG, UCC Joins National to Embark on Strike Action

The University of Cape Coast Branch of the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSAUoG) on Monday, 19 October 2020 joined their counterparts in other public universities to lay down their tools over the government’s failure to pay their market premium and second-tier pension arrears.

Addressing members of the Union before the strike action, the Chairman, Mr. Charles Amos Odoom noted that the strike has become necessary because the government has failed to address these concerns which have been complained to the Ministry of Education, National Council for Tertiary Education, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the National Labour Commission. “We have tried to meet all these stakeholders to address our concerns but they are not ready to hear us so the best we can do is to show that we are very serious,” he explained.

Mr. Odoom noted that members of SSA-UoG have the requisite qualification and competence to be given market premium and non-basic allowance however; there has been discrimination on the part of the FWSC. “Just recently the government announced the payment of professional allowance to all staff of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG) including cleaners and labourers but has failed to grant us the same when the least member of SSA-UoG is a Diploma holder,” he lamented.

Mr. Odoom also noted that SSA-UoG and all other unions in the various public universities are strongly against the government’s decision to migrate public universities to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) Mechanised Payroll System. He said the Universities operate a different structure and have been submitting data to the CAGD for processing of payment and there had not been problems so it is worrying that there have been several directives to migrate us to the platform. He mentioned the difficulties other universities are facing including unwarranted deductions, non-payment of allowances, delays in payment of promotions among others.

The SSA-UoG, UCC Chairman called on all members of UCC to rally behind the local and national executives whilst they fight these injustices. On the basis of this, he referred to the Press Release by the National Executives that “Pursuant to the ultimatum which was copied to the National Labour Commission and the government insensitivity to our plight, we hereby withdraw our services with effect from Monday, 19 October 2020”.

The executives later met Management of the University and informed them of the union’s plan to embark on strike until our demands from the government are met. He reiterated the need for Management of the University to add their voice so that the concerns of SSA-UoG were addressed.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, assured the executives that the Management would do its best to also intervene together with Vice-Chancellors of other public universities on behalf of members of the SSA-UoG.

Present at the Meeting were the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh; Registrar, Mr. Jeff Teye Onyame, and the Director of Human Resource, Rev. Isaac Baafi Sarbeng.

 

NOTICE OF REGULAR GENERAL MEETING

All Members of Senior Staff Association, Universities of Ghana, UCC Local (SSA-UoG, UCC) are cordially invited to the 1st   Regular General Meeting of the year per the details below:

 

DATE:                THURSDAY, 15TH OCTOBER, 2020.

VENUE:            MAIN AUDITORIUM.

TIME:                11:00 AM PROMPT.