UTAG rejects GAUA discrimination claims over university remuneration disparities
University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has rejected claims by the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) that differences in market premiums and allowances between teaching and non-teaching senior members of public universities amount to discrimination.
UTAG described the claim as misleading, arguing that differences in remuneration do not automatically constitute unfair treatment.
“A disparity, in and of itself, is not evidence of discrimination,” the association said in a statement issued on Monday, August 10, 2026.
The statement follows GAUA’s decision to reactivate its suspended strike over disparities in market premiums and related allowances.
UTAG explained that public universities employ professionals with varying qualifications, responsibilities and labour market conditions, including academics, administrators, accountants, auditors, librarians, legal officers and technicians.
While acknowledging that the various categories of staff play complementary roles in the university system, UTAG stressed that their functions are not identical and, therefore, should not necessarily attract the same level of compensation.
The association said market premiums should be determined by objective considerations such as the complexity of duties, qualifications, scarcity of specialised skills, labour market competitiveness and the need to attract and retain critical personnel.
UTAG also challenged arguments based on the 114% harmonised market premium structure introduced under the Single Spine Salary Structure in 2012.
According to the association, remuneration frameworks must evolve in response to changing labour market conditions and institutional requirements. It argued that a previous decision to harmonise certain compensation packages should not prevent subsequent differentiation based on legitimate factors.
“A past point of harmonisation cannot be invoked as a permanent argument against all subsequent differentiation,” UTAG stated.
The association stressed that it was not opposed to improved remuneration for non-teaching senior members and supported fair and sustainable conditions of service for all university workers.
However, it rejected what it described as the “false premise” that fairness could only be achieved by removing distinctions between different occupational groups.
UTAG called on the government, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Ministry of Education, National Labour Commission and other stakeholders to undertake an independent review of the remuneration framework for senior members of public universities.
It said the review should take into account qualifications, workloads, responsibilities, labour market comparators, promotion structures, staff retention challenges and the overall compensation structure across the various occupational groups.
The association further urged all parties to refrain from rhetoric that could deepen tensions within the university community, stressing that the dispute should instead be resolved through objective assessment, dialogue and constructive engagement.