Tango at S-Poly, Leadership of POTAG wade in.

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga The National Executive of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana, (POTAG) has stated that it fully supports the Sunyani Polytechnic Chapter in any action it chooses to take to get its representative sworn into the Polytechnic council. A statement issued and signed by the General Secretary of POTAG Mr Oswald Atiga, a copy of which is in the procession of the Daily Graphic said “POTAG as a union shall not also entertain any form of victimization of its members” The statement was in reaction to a purported standoff between the management of Suynani Polytechnic and the local chapter of POTAG. In their statement in support of their colleagues in Sunyani, the National Executive of POTAG said for the past one year, the Sunyani Polytechnic council has been operating without a POTAG representation when the law requires it. “As a result the local chapter went to court to enforce its right of representation, an action which brought about tension on that campus. The National Executive of POTAG then decided to intervene and mediate in that impasse.” It said “On January 23, 2013, a mediated understanding between the Polytechnic Management/ Council and POTAG (Sunyani Local) was that the local chapter withdraws the court case and render an unqualified apology to council. Council would on its part take immediate steps to swear in the local chapter’s representative onto the council”. “As I communicate with you, the court case has been withdrawn and management/Council has blatantly refused to swear in the local chapter’s representative onto the council an action which is creating unnecessary tension on the campus,” the statement noted. The National Executive of POTAG said while it is satisfied that the executive of the Suynani chapter have fulfilled their part of the mediated understanding it was unhappy at the management/Council of the same institution which has simply refused to abide by it’s side of the deal and therefore thrown its support behind their colleagues in Suynani Polytechnic in their bid to have their concerns addressed. It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic in its March 23, 2013 edition reported that Sunyani Polytechnic branch POTAG and the Registrar of the same institution Mr Samuel Ankamah Obour, were in a tango, citing a number of reasons for their action. Consequently, the association resolved that its members cannot work with the registrar and given the Governing Council of the polytechnic till the end of April 2013 to remove him from office, failure of which the members say they will advise themselves accordingly. Members of the association stated in their resolution, after an emergency meeting on March 20, 2013, that Mr Obour had been misleading the polytechnic council members and other senior members of the institution, such as the rector, on many issues concerning POTAG members in relation to their work. The resolution, signed by its Chairman, Mr Lawrence Amponsah, and copied to the Minister of Education and other stakeholders in education, for instance indicated that the registrar had misled the rector, thereby leading to the wrongful termination of the appointment of the Head of Department of Commercial Studies, one Mr Robertson Amoah. They contended that “POTAG is of the view that the continuous presence of Mr S.A. Obour on the campus will totally disorganise academic work there. POTAG will not sit down for this behaviour to continue.” It was however reported that Mr Obour in a quick rebuttal, told the Daily Graphic in his office that he would respond appropriately to all the allegations and accusations raised by the association. He explained that he had received a copy of the resolution and that he was seeking permission from the Chairman of the council before he would go ahead with his written response. -End-