The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has expressed deep disappointment over the nationwide strike declared by senior staff unions of public universities, calling the action premature and taken in bad faith.
The indefinite strike, declared on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, was jointly announced by the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), the Technical University Administrators Association of Ghana (TUAAG), and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG). The unions say the move is in protest of government’s delay in implementing details of an agreement reached with them six months ago.
In a statement issued on Thursday, May 22, GTEC noted that multiple steps had been taken to resolve the unions’ concerns prior to the strike. According to the Commission, the National Labour Commission (NLC) had invited all stakeholders to a hearing on May 21, following a formal notice of the planned industrial action on May 13.
Additionally, GTEC revealed that SSA-UoG met with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) on May 19, where the unions were given assurances that efforts were underway to address their demands. GTEC itself had also scheduled a meeting with the senior staff associations for May 23, as part of continued engagements.
The Director-General of GTEC, Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, said the Minister of Education had also met with the unions in April and reaffirmed government’s commitment to resolving the matter.
“It is therefore surprising that the SSA-UoG and its allied associations have chosen to embark on a strike despite the open lines of dialogue and progress being made,” the Commission stated.
GTEC described the strike as “illegal” and urged the unions to return to the negotiation table to help find a lasting solution to their concerns.
