GAUA President: Strike suspension depends on letter from Fair Wages to address concerns

The President of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), Rev. Kwaku Karikari Amoah, says the Association will not decide whether to suspend its ongoing strike until it has received and reviewed a letter from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission detailing proposals to address its concerns.

His comments follow a meeting between GAUA representatives and the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, on Monday October 12, 2026 during which the minister appealed to the association to return to work by the weekend to allow academic activities to resume on Monday, October 18.

Speaking in an interview with TV3's Evelyn Tengmaa a day after the meeting, Rev. Karikari Amoah said the association was not entirely satisfied with the outcome of the discussions, although he acknowledged that significant progress had been made towards resolving the issues that triggered the industrial action.

“We cannot say that we are entirely satisfied. We can only be satisfied when the letter that is expected from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission is seen, read, reviewed and approved,” he said.

According to him, approximately 80 per cent of the issues underpinning the strike have been addressed, with the association expecting the remaining 20 per cent to be resolved by Friday.

He said GAUA was prepared to continue negotiations as soon as the commission invited its representatives to review the proposed arrangements.

“If they call us, we are ready,” he stressed, explaining that he was in Accra and prepared to engage with the relevant authorities.

Rev. Karikari Amoah disclosed that the association had already provided its members with an update on the outcome of the meeting with the education minister.

However, he said a formal decision on whether to suspend or continue the strike would be taken only after the expected letter had been received and discussed by the association’s National Executive Council (NEC).

He explained that GAUA’s constitution requires the appropriate internal processes to be followed before a strike is called or suspended.

“We have shared a synopsis of what happened with them,” he said, adding that the letter from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission would form the basis of discussions at the NEC meeting.

He indicated that the Association intended to hold an online meeting with its members through the NEC after receiving the document, following which a decision would be communicated.

The GAUA President also rejected suggestions that the association had already concluded negotiations and signed an agreement on its demands before subsequently changing its position.

He described such claims as misleading, insisting that negotiations over the market premium remained unresolved.

Rev. Karikari Amoah explained that the association’s position was based on a government white paper on market premium and a 2012 arbitration ruling concerning the application of market premium for senior members of universities.

He said a letter previously received from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission referred to a revised market premium, while an arrangement involving the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) referred to a new market premium.

According to him, the distinction was important because GAUA believed the established procedures and principles governing the determination of market premium had not been followed.

“We have not negotiated with you on market premium. So why do you tell us you are giving us a revised market premium?” he asked.

He maintained that the association had not signed off on negotiations concerning an interim market premium, arguing that any such arrangement should comply with the relevant arbitration ruling.

Rev. Karikari Amoah urged stakeholders to understand the issues underlying the industrial action rather than suggest that GAUA had abandoned an agreement it had already reached.

Addressing concerns that the strike could further disrupt the university academic calendar, the GAUA president argued that the welfare of university administrators and other staff members was essential to the effective functioning of tertiary institutions.

He acknowledged the importance of the academic calendar but said efforts to restore normal academic activities should also take into account the working conditions and welfare of those responsible for sustaining the university system.

“The academic calendar is as important as the people who maintain the academic calendar,” he said.

He argued that dissatisfied staff could struggle to perform the demanding tasks required to keep academic activities running smoothly, including preparing and printing examination questions and undertaking other essential administrative duties.

He also noted that disruptions to academic schedules could be addressed, citing the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as an example.

Rev. Karikari Amoah further emphasised that GAUA members had personal and family interests in the continuity of university education, noting that some also had children attending universities.

He, therefore, maintained that the debate over the academic calendar should not be used to dismiss the association’s concerns about staff welfare.

The GAUA president also clarified the association’s position on concerns relating to university staff who have reached retirement age.

He said the association was not simply fighting for individuals who had retired but was challenging what it considers a departure from established retirement arrangements within the university system.

According to him, the long-standing practice had been for affected staff to retire at the end of the academic year rather than immediately upon turning 60.

He explained that, under the arrangement GAUA was challenging, a staff member who turned 60 in March, for example, would previously have been allowed to complete assigned responsibilities until the end of the academic year before retiring.

He said subsequent directives requiring non-teaching staff to retire in the month they turned 60 had raised concerns about a possible variation of their conditions of service.

Rev. Karikari Amoah further argued that the distinction between teaching and non-teaching senior members was unfair because both groups contributed to the university system and formed part of the university convocation.

“We are all senior members, so why do you want to treat some senior members differently from others?” he asked.

He called for fair treatment of non-teaching senior members, arguing that the existing arrangements should not be altered in a way that discriminates against one category of university staff.

Despite the unresolved issues, Rev. Karikari Amoah expressed optimism that the remaining concerns would be addressed and an agreement reached to allow members to return to work.

He said that if the commitments made during engagements with the education minister were not fulfilled, the association would return to the minister to seek further discussions.

He maintained that the decision to suspend the strike rested with the association and would depend on the outcome of the ongoing negotiations.

“We are very optimistic that our demands should be met,” he said.

However, he cautioned that GAUA would not hesitate to take further action if the outstanding issues remained unresolved.eve

The association’s next decision is therefore expected to depend on the contents of the letter from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the outcome of consultations with its National Executive Council.