By Franklin Asare-Donkoh
The Senior Staff Association–Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), the Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU-TUC) and the Federation of University Senior Staff Associations of Ghana (FUSSAG) have declared an indefinite strike with immediate effect, citing unfair changes to their conditions of service and the government’s failure to settle outstanding financial obligations.
The strike is intended to press the government to pay four years of salary arrears and allowances arising from the upgrading of the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), the Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL) and the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) into the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC).
The unions are also demanding the payment of five months of outstanding Tier Two pension contributions from August to December 2024, along with a three percent penalty for late remittance, in accordance with National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) regulations.
In a joint statement signed by the National Chairman of SSA-UoG, George Ansong; the General Secretary of FUSSAG, Jonathan Kabu; and the National Chairperson of TEWU-TUC, Salamatu Mahamah Brimah, the unions said the industrial action was triggered primarily by a unilateral decision by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to alter agreed conditions of service, particularly the payment of overtime allowances to senior staff of public universities.
According to the unions, SSA-UoG signed an agreement with the FWSC and the government in 2021 recognising senior staff of public universities as eligible for overtime allowances.
However, in May 2025, the University of Ghana (UG) suspended the payment of overtime and replaced it with a “call-in allowance”, citing financial constraints and objections from the Audit Service.
The unions said that despite drawing UG’s attention to the existing agreement, their concerns were ignored, leading to threats of industrial action and the intervention of the National Labour Commission (NLC).
They explained that during engagements at the NLC, the FWSC initially acknowledged the agreement and directed that overtime payments should continue while negotiations were ongoing.
However, the unions said confidence in the process was undermined when they later obtained a letter from the FWSC to UG instructing the university to stop paying overtime and instead implement the call-in allowance. They said the FWSC declined to withdraw the letter, prompting them to boycott subsequent negotiations.
The unions further accused the FWSC of reversing its position at later NLC sittings by claiming that senior staff of public universities do not qualify for overtime allowances.
They also raised concerns about delays at the NLC, noting that hearings were adjourned after the FWSC failed to appear.
Meanwhile, the unions said UG has fully implemented the call-in allowance, with similar measures adopted by the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) and the University for Development Studies (UDS), a development they described as a serious threat to their conditions of service.
While expressing concern about the impact of the strike, the unions said the action was unavoidable.
“We do not take delight in embarking on industrial action because we know the consequences it has for us and the economy. However, we must be treated with fairness and respect,” the statement said.
