By Prince Ahenkorah
The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), are at odds over disparities in salaries, market premiums and allowances for senior members of public universities.
The disagreement follows GAUA’s decision to reactivate its industrial action over what it describes as unfair disparities in remuneration between teaching and non-teaching staff.
GAUA says the strike could significantly disrupt key administrative and professional services across public universities, while UTAG has rejected the association’s claim that differences in remuneration amount to discrimination.
GAUA General Secretary, Charles Kojo Aidoo, said the strike would affect several critical university operations, including salary processing, payments, admissions, procurement, promotions and appointments.
Speaking on JoyNews, Aidoo said the association represents professionals who play essential roles in the administration and operation of public universities.
“All the accountants in the university, so it means salaries are not going to be processed. All payments are not going to be processed in the university. All admissions, new admissions, are not going to be processed,” he said.
He added that promotions and appointments would also be affected.
“No promotion, no appointment are going to be done in the university,” he stated.
According to Mr Aidoo, the impact of the strike goes beyond administrative offices, as professionals including engineers, architects, lawyers and medical doctors are also members of GAUA.
“All the engineers, architects are not going to work. All the medical doctors in the universities are not going to work. All the lawyers in the universities are going to lay down their tools and not going to work,” he said.
He further indicated that faculty officers responsible for supporting the administration of various faculties would also withdraw their services.
At the heart of the dispute is GAUA’s concern over what it considers significant disparities in market premiums between teaching and non-teaching senior members of public universities.
Mr Aidoo argued that non-teaching professionals are being undervalued despite their qualifications, experience and responsibilities.
He cited market premium differences involving senior university administrators and assistant lecturers as an example.
According to him, an assistant lecturer receives a market premium of about GH¢7,400, while a university registrar and director of finance receive approximately GH¢6,000 each.
GAUA believes the disparity does not adequately reflect the responsibilities and professional qualifications of senior non-teaching staff.
UTAG, however, has rejected GAUA’s argument that differences in market premiums and allowances amount to discrimination.
In a statement issued on Monday, August 10, 2026, the association described the claim as misleading.
“A disparity, in and of itself, is not evidence of discrimination,” UTAG stated.
UTAG argued that public universities employ professionals with different qualifications, responsibilities and labour market conditions, including academics, administrators, accountants, auditors, librarians, legal officers and technicians.
While acknowledging that these professionals perform complementary roles, UTAG said their functions are not identical and therefore should not necessarily attract the same compensation.
The association said market premiums should instead be determined by objective factors such as the complexity of work, qualifications, scarcity of skills, labour market competitiveness and the need to attract and retain specialised personnel.
UTAG also rejected arguments based on the 114% harmonised market premium structure introduced under the Single Spine Salary Structure in 2012.
The association argued that compensation structures must evolve in response to changing labour market conditions and institutional needs.
“A past point of harmonisation cannot be invoked as a permanent argument against all subsequent differentiation,” UTAG said.
UTAG stressed that it does not oppose improved remuneration for non-teaching senior members and supports fair and sustainable conditions of service for all university workers.
However, it rejected what it described as the false premise that fairness can only be achieved by eliminating distinctions between occupational groups.
UTAG has called on the government, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Ministry of Education, National Labour Commission and other stakeholders to conduct an independent review of the remuneration framework for senior members of public universities.
The association said the review should consider qualifications, workload, responsibilities, labour market comparisons, promotion structures, staff retention and overall compensation across occupational groups.
UTAG also urged all parties to avoid rhetoric that could worsen relations within the university community.
The association called for the dispute to be resolved through objective assessment and constructive engagement.