The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed 11 categories of senior management officials in public universities to return to work, ruling that they are not eligible to participate in the ongoing industrial action by university administrators.
The directive, issued on August 17, 2026, comes amid an ongoing strike by members of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical University Senior Administrators’ Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) over disparities in market premium and related allowances.
According to GTEC, the affected officials occupy executive, managerial or policy-making positions and therefore have responsibilities that require them to remain at post during industrial action.
11 categories of university officials affected
The GTEC directive covers the following senior management positions:
- Vice-Chancellors
- Pro Vice-Chancellors
- Registrars
- Directors of Finance or Finance Officers
- Directors of Internal Audit
- Directors of Health Services
- Directors of Procurement
- Directors of Works and Physical Development
- Directors of Information Technology
- Deans, Directors and Heads of Academic Units
- All Deputy Directors and Vice-Deans
GTEC said it had become concerned that some officials occupying these positions had joined the strike despite the nature of their responsibilities.
The directive, signed by GTEC Deputy Director-General Prof. Augustine Ocloo, cited provisions of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), the Labour Regulations, 2007 (L.I. 1833), and the National Labour Commission Regulations, 2006 (L.I. 1822).
GTEC explained that workers in executive, managerial and policy-making positions may be restricted from participating in industrial action when their functions align with the interests of management and the employer.
Vice-Chancellors given 48 hours
GTEC has also given Vice-Chancellors 48 hours to submit a register identifying senior management officials who joined the strike and failed to comply with the directive to return to work.
The Commission said the requirement was necessary to ensure compliance with its order and to protect the effective administration of public universities during the industrial action.
GTEC further emphasised that senior management officials owe a fiduciary duty to their employers, particularly those working under contractual arrangements.
Essential university services must continue
Beyond ordering the affected officials back to work, GTEC has directed public universities to ensure that the strike does not disrupt essential institutional and student services.
These include:
- End-of-semester examinations
- Auditing services
- Internet and telecommunications
- Student portals
- Registration systems
- Healthcare services
- Cleaning and janitorial services
- Salaries and other payment processing
GTEC said it had received reports of attempts to disrupt some of these services at certain university campuses.
The Commission warned that unlawful disruption of essential services could amount to a breach of the Labour Act.
Why are university administrators on strike?
The latest GTEC directive follows the reactivation of the GAUA nationwide strike on August 10, 2026.
GAUA’s industrial action is linked to what the association describes as persistent disparities in market premium and related allowances between teaching and non-teaching senior members of public universities.
The decision to resume the strike was taken at the association’s national congress in Sunyani on August 7, 2026, following concerns over differences in remuneration.
The Technical University Senior Administrators’ Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) subsequently declared its full support for the action, saying its members were also affected by the remuneration disparities.
However, GTEC clarified that the strike does not involve all university employees. It primarily concerns university administrators represented by GAUA and senior administrators in technical universities represented by TUSAAG.
GTEC calls for restraint
Despite taking a firm position on the participation of senior management officials, GTEC said it remains committed to helping resolve the issues underlying the industrial action.
The Commission urged GAUA and TUSAAG to exercise restraint and responsibility while the dispute is addressed.
The latest directive therefore adds a new dimension to the ongoing university administrators’ strike, with GTEC seeking to balance workers’ grievances with the need to maintain essential university operations and student services.
