We’ll also strike if universities’ senior staff concerns aren’t addressed – GAUA

The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) has threatened to lay down its tools if the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) fail to address the concerns of university senior staff.

The Senior Staff Association of Public Universities in Ghana (SSA-UoG) and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff (FUSSAG) declared an indefinite nationwide strike on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, over the blatant disregard for their welfare by the government.

According to the Associations, their calls for the payment of their two-tier pension and overtime allowance requests have gone unheeded, resulting in the strike.

The strike has led to the withdrawal of various services, including healthcare, administration, and security, affecting final-year students who require strict supervision from senior technicians during their practical sessions.

GAUA, in a statement issued on Friday, said the current agitation among university employees was attributed to the penchant attitude of the GTEC and FWSC to unilaterally disregard the conditions of service and negotiation machinery to issue directives that make university employees worse off.

“GAUA caution GTEC and FWSC to respect the conditions of service and negotiated outcomes to preserve industrial peace in the public universities.”

“We wish to serve notice, and notice is hereby served, that any delays in resolving all outstanding issues by GTEC and FWSC will result in GAUA similarly laying down her tools and joining the strike action,” it stated.

GAUA also said it was obvious that the patience of Ghanaian workers had waned, and the continued lethargy of Government agencies in addressing labour issues would no longer be entertained.

“GAUA is monitoring closely the issues on the labour front at this time and will not hesitate to activate its advertised intentions if government fails to address issues in the nation’s public universities in a timely manner, bearing in mind the critical issues plaguing GAUA as a body,” it added.