The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has appealed to striking university administrators to give him one month to work towards resolving concerns that have triggered industrial action among senior non-teaching staff in public universities.
Members of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) embarked on a strike over what they describe as disparities in Market Premium and other allowances between teaching and non-teaching senior staff in public universities.
The industrial action has brought renewed attention to concerns over remuneration and conditions of service for university administrators, who play key roles in the management and day-to-day administration of tertiary institutions.
The unions are demanding action to address what they consider inequities in the payment of Market Premium and related allowances, particularly in comparison with their counterparts on the teaching side.
The disagreement persisted despite engagements between the affected groups and relevant government institutions, prompting the administrators to resort to industrial action to press home their demands.
However, the Education Minister is now seeking a one-month window to facilitate discussions and work towards finding a solution to the concerns raised by the unions.
Speaking during a meeting with representatives of the striking unions on Monday, August 17, Haruna Iddrisu said his office was engaging the Ministry of Finance as part of efforts to resolve the outstanding issues.
He indicated that the Finance Ministry requires verified information on the number of affected staff and the financial implications involved before decisions can be taken on the payment of the outstanding entitlements.
He therefore appealed to the university administrators to provide the necessary data to support the government’s efforts to address the matter.
“The Deputy Minister for Finance, he said, even when GTEC wrote to you [the striking unions], one of you in your writing, you copied him [the Deputy Minister for Finance], they asked for a validated audit of the numbers to pay. Give me one month from today, but I need the data.”
The latest engagement with the Education Ministry could provide an opportunity for the government and the unions to work towards resolving the dispute and restoring normal administrative activities at the affected institutions.