Rectify salary anomalies to reduce tension and possible strike action in public universities — GAUA-TUSAAG tells government

The joint national leadership of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) has called on government to rectify salary anomalies affecting their members to avoid an impending strike action.

In a joint statement issued on Thursday, 25th April, 2024 and signed by DR-MED. Mrs. Beth Offei-Awuku, National President, GAUA and Joseph Mensah Oti-Asirifi, National President, TUSAAG noted that they have taken notice of the mounting tension among the entire senior administrative and professional staff across the public universities in Ghana, particularly, regarding the discriminatory variations in April salaries, pursuant to negotiated agreements and related matters.

The statement cautions that if government does not resolve the outstanding salary issues coupled with the growing sentiments and mounting pressure from their members, they would have no option but to declare a strike action to compel government to heed their call.

Below is the full joint statement:
Our Ref No: JNT/GAUA-TUSAAG/PUB/04/04/01
25th April 2024
TO ALL MEMBERS, TUSAAG & GAUA,
TENSION ACROSS PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES-STATEMENT BY THE LEADERSHIP OF GAUA AND TUSAAG

The joint leadership of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and theTechnical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) has taken notice of the mounting tension among the entire senior administrative and professional staff across the public universities in Ghana, particularly, regarding the discriminatory variations in April salaries, pursuant to negotiated agreements and related matters.

The leadership of GAUA and TUSAAG has also taken notice of the growing sentiment and the clarion call for drastic measures including strike action, as a means of compelling the government, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to heed our concerns. We share in the anger and the frustration of our members, especially when there has been a glaring lack of progress in addressing legitimate concerns raised by both unions before government and the allied bodies during our numerous engagements and correspondence to them.

While we welcome the government’s efforts to compensate staff and support staff development at the public universities, we find it unacceptable the monumental remuneration disparities between the teaching and non-teaching senior members in the public universities in Ghana. We take a serious view of the widening gap between the two top-tier senior members, as one that does not only weaken the morale and motivation of our members, but also, compromises the principles of fairness, equity, and harmony that are fundamental to our conditions within our class as senior members of the university.

The Joint National Executive Committee of GAUA and TUSAAG is scheduled to meet with the Minister of Education on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Accra. This meeting is on the intervention of the Minister to address the serious issues we have previously raised with the government, the GTEC, and the FWSC. We are in high anticipation of a satisfactory resolution to all issues by the close of the meeting on Monday. In view of these developments, and in the spirit of good faith and courtesy, we urge our members across the twenty-six public universities to restrain their anger and suspend any intended actions that would disrupt productivity and the normal functioning of our universities.

We assure our members that we are committed to protecting our welfare and interests. We therefore urge everyone to exercise restraint and remain at work, pending the outcome of ourmeeting on Monday, which will largely determine our subsequent actions.

Thank you.
Respectfully issued,
DR-MED. MRS. BETH OFFEI-AWUKU
NATIONAL PRESIDENT, GAUA
MR. JOSEPH MENSAH OTI-ASIRIFI
NATIONAL PRESIDENT, TUSAAG