The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) says it will consult its members on the outcome of negotiations with the Ministry of Education before deciding whether to suspend its two-month-long strike.
The association is expected to communicate its decision after Tuesday, October 13, 2026, although it has yet to announce a specific date for the consultation.
The development follows a meeting on Monday at the Ministry of Education in Accra involving GAUA leadership, the Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG), the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Iddrisu expressed optimism that the industrial action would be called off in the coming days, directing GTEC to ask public universities to announce their reopening dates towards the weekend.
He said the government was keen to ensure that academic activities resumed on Monday, October 19, to prevent further disruption to the academic calendar.
“It is my expectation that the universities can reopen towards the weekend and not later than the weekend so that academic work can begin on Monday so that we don’t lose the academic calendar to the strike and its impact,” he said.
The Minister appealed to the leadership of GAUA and TUSAAG to consider the consequences of the strike on students and facilitate the resumption of normal academic activities across public university campuses.
“What I want is to request GAUA to consider calling off their strike action for normal academic work to proceed and continue throughout all our university campuses across Ghana and public universities,” he added.
GAUA awaits members’ decision
GAUA leadership has maintained that it cannot unilaterally suspend the strike without consulting its members, as the association’s constitution requires major decisions, including the suspension of industrial action, to be ratified by the membership.
The association’s President, Rev. Kwaku Amoah Karikari, had earlier indicated that an agreement on the market premium dispute would trigger consultations with national executives before a decision was taken.
The outcome of Monday’s meeting will now be communicated to members for consideration, with the association expected to determine its next course of action after the consultations.
Dispute over market premium
GAUA’s strike began on August 10 and was reactivated on September 15 following a brief suspension.
The industrial action centres on disparities in the Interim Market Premium (IMP) paid to teaching and non-teaching senior members of public universities.
The association argues that a 2012 Compulsory Arbitration Award established parity in the market premium at 114 per cent of basic salary.
However, GAUA maintains that while the market premium for members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has increased over the years, that of non-teaching senior members has remained unchanged.
Figures cited in the dispute indicate that teaching senior members receive an average market premium of approximately GH¢10,000, compared with about GH¢4,718 for their non-teaching counterparts, representing a difference of GH¢5,282.
The association is seeking to address what it considers an inequity in the remuneration of senior university staff.
Strike disrupts university operations
The prolonged industrial action has disrupted administrative services at public universities, affecting processes such as admissions, student registration and accommodation allocation.
The University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have also postponed their scheduled reopening dates amid the uncertainty.
The government’s push for universities to reopen by Monday, October 19, reflects growing concern over the potential impact of the strike on the academic calendar.
However, the resumption of normal academic activities will depend on the outcome of GAUA’s consultations and whether its members approve a suspension of the industrial action.
